Seeing and Knowing Visual Art Chapters 9-13
Full Shot
Shows actor from head to toe
Binder
Substance holding pigment together; different for every medium
Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna and Child with St. Anne and Infant St. John the Baptist. c. 1505-1507
Began as a preliminary sketch for a painting, but became more famous than the actual painting. The actual painting is now lost
Mary Cassatt. Young Mother, Daughter, and Son. 1913
Taught by Degas. She is believed to have surpassed Degas' skill. She too blended by hatching. Cassatt could only draw what was in her domestic sphere, what was acceptable for a woman to draw
Engraving
accomplished by pressing a burin into a surface. A range of lines can be achieved depending on the pressure
William Cameron Menzies. Storyboard for the burning-of-Atlanta scene from Gone with the Wind. 1939
GwtW- first epic film, changed special effects game, extremely expensive to film. Storyboard allowed for each scene to be planned out to save money- film is expensive and shouldn't be wasted
Linocut
A linoleum plate is used in the relief process
Pigments
Loose color; powdery
*Nam June Paik. Video Flag. 1985-1986
1970's to 1980's- rise of the camcorder, a primitive but cheap and accessible technology. Original rendition of this video art was produced with computer monitors, not TVs- in the early 2000's, the computer monitors started to burn out, and since they were no longer being made, they couldn't buy the parts to fix them. The art could have gone extinct, but thankfully we could take the original videos and modify them for 21st century technology. Artists not as well known as Paik would not have had the funds to save their work. Work shows the American flag through shape and color, the color was originally created by using magnets on the computer screen- when made digital, they had to edit it. Audio was also added later on. The imagery flashes quickly, in pictures they are clear and you can tell what they are, but in person you cannot. Images repeat, showing the chaotic way we receive information now. We're getting so much information, we cannot possibly process it all- we become hypnotized by it, and pick and chose what we pay attention to.
Photomontage
A collage of multiple photos
Drypoint
A line is scratched not carved. This creates a burr, raised shaved metal, but also creates a soft, organic, velvety line similar to graphite
Etching
A more fluid and free process. It is caused by exposing metal to acid. Deep lines are achieved by long acid baths
A single impression of an image that has been transferred through pressure onto paper
Metalpoint
A stylus is applied to a paper primed with powdered bones or lead, to make lines. Not a physical transfer to produce a line, it is a chemical reaction. Lines cannot be undone and are very delicate. Shading is done through hatching and cross hatching
Solvent/Vehicle
A thinner that helps paint flow more readily, and cleans the brushes. The solvent changes based on what paint is being used
Woodcut
A wooden plate is used in the relief process
Kathe Kollwitz. Self-Portrait, Drawing. 1933
An expressionist and abstract self portrait that shows that charcoal is versatile
Relief Processes- General Characteristics
Any printmaking process in which an image to be printed is raised off the background in reverse, like a rubber stamp. Linocut and woodcut are the two types
Intaglio Processes- General Characteristics
Areas to be printed are below the surface of the plate. Cut or incised lines are filled with ink onto the plate. Intaglio is the Italian word for engraving and the process was derived from armorers of the middle ages. Intaglio process include engraving, etching, drypoint and aquatint. All of these processes can be used together, the only difference in them is the preparation of the plate
Judith F. Baca. The Great Wall of Los Angeles, detail, Division of the Barrios and Chavez Ravine. 1976-present
Baca used spray paint, which covered large areas quickly. Work is site-based and was drawn directly onto the wall. Legality comes into play, since Baca is usually invited to create but others are not- graffiti. This work takes political problems. Critiques the LA River and wall separating the river and communities. LA River construction destroyed a lot of historic Hispanic communities, and was basically a cement scar. The construction also only went through minority communities, not white upper class communities
Charcoal
Burnt wood. Soft material
In-the-round Sculpture
Can be seen from every angle
Emil Nolde. Prophet. 1912
Can see some of the woodgrain in the ink. Wood is difficult to work with since it splinters, which shows in the forehead- random raised spots. Nolde chose wood since prophets know what happen, including the burden of knowing Christ's crucifixion. Wood makes the prophet look gaunt and rough, showing that burden. Nolde's personal style is very rough and "unclean"
Fra Andrea Pozzo. The Glorification of Saint Ignatius. 1691-1694
Ceiling fresco. Reminds philosophers on how important being devout Catholics is, it gives them an idea of what salvation looks like. Was painted during the protestant reformation
*William Kentridge. Drawing from WEIGHING... and WANTING. 1997-1998
Charcoal and pastel in an animated video. Centers around South African history and the apartheid, the long history of inequality that was good for business because it called for cheap labor for industrialists. Male character, Soho, focuses on greed and how it corrupts everything it touches, especially apartheid labor. The themes in this work include greed- Soho's mind is occupied by the mine, acquiring wealth, the toll all of this takes on personal relationships- which is repaired over the course of the movie, money is made with cheap black labor, and the fact that the residue of the apartheid remains. Charcoals and pastels are easy to manipulate and modify. They aren't perfect, since a little residue remains but Kentridge uses that as a metaphor for what history leaves behind.
*Whitefield Lovell. Whispers from the Walls. 1999
Charcoal is used combined with installation- the charcoal was used to draw directly on the walls. Lovell used found objects to furnish the space, wanting to evoke the reconstruction- civil war to civil rights- period. By doing this, he creates a window into the lives of African americans during the reconstruction; they were still living poorly and had no money, they returned to their former slave owners as sharecroppers. They lived simply and primitively, and the house shows that. This work shows what life was like for African Americans, since they had no money. The house is cleaned and dignified, showing they took care of what they had, not many depictions of reconstruction era African American spaces showed that. Its ghost like presence is intentional, Lovell wants to connect people with the space they lived in. The charcoal adds to that, giving it a haunting quality. Lovell also has whispers coming from the walls, again giving it a haunting quality. He wanted to show that history lives on through generations, it is not dead. It is still present in contemporary times.
Fernand Leger. Ballet Mecanique. 1924
Collage through time, shows random and abstract items
Juan Gris. The Table. 1914
Collage, mixed media. Paper and charcoal.
Fred Tomaselli. Airborne Event. 2003
Collage, mixed media. Uses pills, real items, plants, leaves, etc.. making the work visually busy
Mixed Media
Combination of different media/materials in a single work of art- like a collage
*Jan de Heem. Still Life with Lobster. Late 1640's
Compared/Contrasted with Marilyn, Vanitas. De Heem's work is a traditional vanitas. The table is overflowing with food that is expensive. The fruit was even imported. No one is there eating the food, making it displayed but not used- wastefulness. Expensive glassware and stuff on the table show wastefulness as well, along with the sliced foods- sliced but not eaten. Oyster shells allude to sexuality, shows lust- the oysters were eaten. Painting is a warning. Objects in these types of paintings that have fallen over signify death, impending death and judgement. Time pieces relate to death as well. Moral lessons- greed, gluttony, lust.
*Audrey Flack. Marilyn, Vanitas
Compared/Contrasted with Still Life with Lobster. Flack is a feminist American artist reverting back to old vanitas tradition. Lots of items that are expensive are shown, food is untouched, two time pieces, bejeweled items, the candle is slowly burning out- death, the hour glass is tipped over- death. This depicts Marilyn Monroe, pre-celebrity Monroe. Vanity- makeup, jewelry, mirror reflecting image- warned against inauthenticity. It shows the authentic Marilyn and the dangers of being turned into someone you aren't. This isn't a religious painting, but the calendar relates to her death, and the work is photorealistic. Moral lessons- vanity and inauthenticity.
Louis-Jaques-Mande Daguerre. Le Boulevard du Temple. 1839
Daguerreotype, creates a sophisticated (more sophisticated) photo. Could only capture non-moving objects
Dodging
Decreases exposure to light in areas that should be lighter
Jean Dubuffet. Corps de Dame. June-December 1950
Dubuffet was an expressionist like Pollock. This work shows the body of a woman, made from pen and ink
Eadweard Muybridge. Annie G, Cantering, Saddled. 1887
Early example of video. Muybridge set up a line of cameras that took a photo every second. He wanted to settle a debate- do horses ever have no hooves on the ground? Unintentionally created the foundations of film through this
Pastel (Chalk Pastel)
Earth minerals. Gradual transitions are possible, and the material can be changed. It is only semi-permanent with resin fixatives, and the paper must be rough to get medium to adhere
Jacob Lawrence. You can buy bootleg whiskey for twenty-five cents a quart, from the Harlem Series. 1942-1943
Gouache. Tablecloth and floor show that the brushstrokes don't blend well, making them appear marker-like. Abstract forms were used in this work
Kenny Scharf. Mural on Houston Street, Soho, Manhattan, New York
Graffiti
Winslow Homer. A Wall, Nassau. 1898
En plaine air American artist. Used watercolor to make on site sketches to take back to the studio to make an oil painting. Bright colors are made by barely any water. Pale colors are made by a lot of water, making them transparent
Mummy Portrait of a Man. Faiyum, Egypt. c. 160-170 CE
Encaustic on wood. Earliest recorded portraits, used to signify people who were kind of important enough to be remembered but not important enough for a gold masked mummy. The wax makes the eyes literally twinkle
Albrecht Durer. Adam and Eve, First State. 1504
Engraving that is very detailed. A lot of proofs from this work survived
Gouache
Essentially watercolor and white chalk. Opaque while still having watercolor's light reflecting brilliance. Dries quickly, is used for large, flat planes and is unable to blend easily
Rembrandt van Rijn. The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds. 1634
Etching was used, which gives the work a softer look than engraving would
William Henry Fox Talbot. Mimosoidea Suchas, Acacia. 1839
Experimented with light sensitive chemicals on film
Sergei Eisenstein. Battleship Potemkin (still 3 of 4). 1925
Extreme close up. Montage
Dry Fresco
Fresco seco. Can work as fast as you want, but it does not bond like wet fresco, which allows moisture to get in and crack the painting- not as archival
Relief Sculpture
Frontal, sculpted image meant to be seen only from the front
Andreas Gursky. Ocean II. 2010
Huge- shows that digital photography allows for large scale, high quality images. Shows that manipulation is also easier, quicker and more believable. Satellite image was used, but Gursky added light in digitally to show depth
High Relief
Imagery has a high level of realism
Low Relief
Imagery looks flat
Burning
Increases exposure to light in areas that should be darker
Ansel Adams. Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexica. 1941
Landscape photographer.Sky is burned, horizon and landscape are dodged- creates dramatic picture
Stippling
Layering of dots
Mary Cassatt. The Map (The Lesson). 1890
Lines look smudged, but is a print
Lithography
Literally "stone writing". Relies on a smooth stone surface, and unlike other processes, there are no raised or depressed surfaces to hold the ink, it relies on grease and water not mixing to produce an image
*Honore Daumier. Rue Transnonian, April 15, 1834. 1834
Lithography. Looks like a charcoal drawing, with smooth shading. Daumier preferred lithography because it was quicker. He would sell illustrations to newspapers, which would mass produce them. He was anti-French government, and his works criticized the government. The date in the title was the date of a working protest. Things got out of hand, and a policeman was shot and killed. Later that night, the police stormed into an apartment building near where the policeman was killed, and the police killed everyone in the building. Daumier wanted the people to know and the government to be held accountable. He documented this on sight, "crime scene photography". The subjects of the work were all in nightgowns, most likely because they were innocent. This image was upsetting, death and dead kids were not everyday sights, but they produced empathy and made it difficult to ignore.
Jane Dickson. Stairwell. 1984
Looks stippled but was printed
Encaustic
Made by a binder of hot wax. One of the oldest mediums. It has bright, luminous color since wax is semitransparent and allows light into the paint mixture. It cools quickly so you need to work fast
Tempera
Made by combining water, pigment and a gummy material- traditionally egg yolk. Needs to be meticulously applied. It is unable to achieve subtle gradation, so gradations are hinted through layering hatched lines of paint. Requires a smooth, stable support and ground- no paper. Gesso, made from a WHITE plaster mixture is most common ground. Paint is semitransparent but gesso allows the colors to be soft and glowy
Georges Seurat. Café Concert. c. 1887-1888
Made from graphite stippling, the layering of dots, which is similar to pointillism
Sandro Botticelli. Primavera. c. 1482
Makes using tempera look easy, it even achieves transparency in the gowns. When looking closely, one can see small hatch lines
Annie Leibovitz. Karen Finley at her home in Nyack, New York. 1992
Male gaze. Shows the safer quieter side. Pose is based off of art history
Watercolor
Most expressive of the painting mediums. Pigment is suspended in water and gum Arabic, traditionally applied to a support of paper- requires absorbent support. Used for expressing generalities, poetic, similar to ink- is used for calligraphy. Not used for photorealism, it is a sketching tool. Achieves a large range of colors, dries quickly and is not as permanent as other mediums
Burin
Metal tool used in engraving
Mary Cassatt. The Bath. 1890-1891
Mirrors Japanese prints
Fritz Scholder. Dream Hose G. 1986
Monotype
Gesso
Most common ground. It is a white plaster mixture that makes the paint brighter and smooths the support out
Raphael. Study for The Alba Madonna (recto). c. 1511
Recto- preliminary; more up close. Verso- adding more. The final of these two is a painting
Silkscreen
Most modern process, first used in the 1940's and 1950's. It uses a silkscreen that has been filled in with ink in certain areas to control where the ink goes, like a stencil. This process is inexpensive and accessible. It was created for commercial use, but began being used by artists in the 1960's. Although each color needs a different screen, it is still a quick process
Cyril E. Power. The Tube Train. c. 1934
Multicolor linocut. Linocut is easier to show more detail, it doesn't splinter. The more editions made, however, the more the plate stretches and causes the picture to distort since linoleum is soft
Edition
Multiple impressions using the same plate. Usually numbered, like 7/30
Oil Stick/Oil Pastel
Oil paint is mixed with wax. This allows a painter to draw directly onto a surface without brushes, palettes, etc. Oil sticks allow for freedom and direct engagement but still have the same properties as paint
Mimis and Kangaroo, Oenpelli, Arenhem Land, Australia. Before 7000 BCE
Old cave drawing. Aboriginal work, shows documentation of species
Published by Dutch physician and mathematician, Reinerius Gemma-Frisius. Camera-Obscura. Published 1544
One of the earliest photos
*Kara Walker. Insurrection! (Our Tools Were Rudimentary, Yet We Pressed On) . 2000
Originally made by putting black acrylic paint on walls. The work is supposed to be disturbing- sinister, dark, shows hysteria of growing up in the racist south. Silhouettes were used to show white and black race issues, they are descriptive on a limited basis- we judge based in our own prejudices and beliefs, stereotyping. The work has a vintage feel, shows the antebellum south. Explores tensions of white/black histories- literal historical depictions/are these tensions still present? Why an installation? Walker wanted no break in the narrative, since the story is a self perpetuation story, a story that repeats itself in similar- but not exact- ways. Your shadow is also placed in the work, showing you in the scene.
Acrylic
Pigments suspended in water and acrylic resins- plastic. Made by artists experimenting to find a paint suitable for outside. Once dried, it is relatively immune to weather. Pit it in an aerosol can and it creates spray paint- street art came from this
Vanitas
Paintings that were prominent in the Netherlands and protestant areas. They warned against sin, greed, vanity, etc... They taught religious stories and lessons
Storyboard
Panels of rough sketches outlining the shot sequences for each movie scene
Trisha Brown. Walking on the Wall. 3/30/1971
Performance art, documented for archival purposes, but only performed twice
*Timothy O'Sullivan (negative) and Alexander Gardner (print). A Harvest of Death, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1863
Photography as a documentary function. Made to document what the Civil War looked like- early forms of photojournalism. Two names- O'Sullivan took the picture, Gardner printed the image. Gardner took images like this one to produce a photographic essay book of images taken from the battlefields of the Civil War. Meant to document what war looked like, not everyone knew what the war looked like because of their location. Specific purpose for doing that, message is conveyed- shows horror of war in opposition to pageantry. War is horrible, gruesome, ugly, has a devastating effect. Anti-war. Conscious decisions were made to show these feelings- the horizon line was raised, the large proportion of image is dedicated to corpses; would have been one of the very first images showing actual death, making it upsetting but Gardner believed it was important to be seen since war was usually described as important and celebratory but the actual image of war gets lost in this pageantry. Image also shows desperation of war- people are missing shoes and items, people would go back to battle grounds to steal what they could use, shows the immorality of people that war brings out.
Jerry N. Uelsmann. Untitled (second version). 1970
Photomontage, seamless collage. Creates a picture that doesn't exist in reality- like using photoshop
Vija Clemins. Untitled (Ocean). 1970
Photorealistic, fully realized self expression made from graphite
Oil Paint
Pigment is mixed with oil, usually linseed oil. This medium dried very slowly- leaving a large window of work time. It also creates a more realistic look; can be blended to create subtle gradations; can be mixed to make a large range of colors, tints and shades. Thinned with turpentine, the paint becomes transparent. Used directly out of the tube, the paint is thick and can be molded and shaped with a painting knife to create 3D surfaces- known as impasto. You do have to use gesso or the surface will degrade over time. Cannot be mixed with other mediums- oil and water don't mix well. Can be made transparent and allow light in, making the paint glow
Fresco
Pigment is mixed with plaster/lime water and then applied to a limewater plaster wall that is wet or dry
Ground
Protects the support from degradation. Gesso is the most common ground
Montage
Sequencing of widely disparate images to create a fast paced, complex image
Stylus
Sharp metal tool with a fine point
Extreme Close Up
Shows portion of face, like just the lips
Leonardo da Vinci. Study of a woman's head or of the angel of the Vergine delle Rocce. 1473
Silverpoint sketch dine with cross hatching
Monotype
Similar to a painting, but relies on a plate to transfer an image. Only one copy can be made from this process
Aquatint
Similar to etching. This process relies on tonal areas of light and dark by spray paint or spray resin
Edgar Degas. After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself. c. 1889-1890
Sketch has color and shows an intimate domestic scene. Degas is most known for his on site ballerina paintings, since he used pastels which allowed for painters to sketch out what they wished to paint without lugging all of their materials around. Degas blends by hatching, since pastels don't blend well
Georgia O'Keeffe. Banana Flower. 1933
Smooth shading, realism, dimension, and photorealism show the rich black tones and versatility of charcoal
Graphite
Soft form of carbon similar to coal. It is less expensive than charcoal. It used to be lead but now graphite is mixed with clay for different hardness' (lots of clay-harder-lighter color; little clay-softer-darker color). Grey in color, making rich black tones unobtainable
Patricia Patterson. The Kitchen. 1985
The image mounted on the wall is a painting in this installation
Pen and Ink
The quill pen allowed for greater variation in the line than metalpoint stylus or a pencil. It is fast and expressive drawing
Proof
Trial impressions made before the final edition is run
Support
The surface onto which an artist paints, most are needed to be primed with a ground since they are too absorbent
Performance Art
Time based medium that is theatrical
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. The Adoration of the Magi. c. 1740s
Used pen and ink as well as inkwash. It is much more realistic thanks to the inkwash, and the materials allowed for it to be done quickly
Daugerreotype
Uses light sensitive chemicals with the camera-obscura to create a primitive photo
Robert Ryman. Long. 2002
Uses the impasto technique, giving it raised and recessed areas. When looked at from the side, you can see its textures
*Andy Warhol. Marilyn Monroe. 1967
Warhol previously worked in advertising, and he learned silkscreening there. This medium allowed him to create multiples- the more works, the more households knew his name. It also influenced his subject matter. His Marilyn series was a large series, he returned to the same image again and again, which gave it a film making quality- screenprinting was used for film posters. The repetition also showed that she was a well known figure, she was mass produced, a brand. Warhol focused on mass produced American products. One didn't need labels to know what the subject matter was, no matter how abstract. Marilyn is abstract and simplified, and the plates were purposefully misaligned, but we still know who is picture. Warhol turned to celebrities because they were "20th century religious icons", which foreshadows how celebrities have taken over. Marilyn is a metaphor for how ingrained she was to us, but the Marilyn we know was an idea, an abstraction of Norma Jean but not a real person. Marilyn was a brand, so this simplified abstraction turned her into a logo. She was a brand for sexuality and beauty. That Marilyn wasn't real though. The real Marilyn was a lot different, with depression and eating disorders.
Beon Fresco
Wet fresco- good fresco, archival. Painting and wall fuse permanently, but you have to work quickly to finish before the plaster dries
Giotto. Lamenation. c. 1305
Wet fresco. Since work needed to be done quickly before drying, Giotto painted in small sections, which led to color differences and small cracks where the sections met
Ink Wash
When ink is diluted with water and applied by a brush in broad, flat strokes- called a wash
Kitagawa Utamaro. Shaving a Boy's Head. c. 1795
Wooden panel that is clean and refined. The image shows all of the people as women, though men would be the ones actually working
Workshop of the Master of Flemalle (Robert Campin). The Annunciation (The Merode Altarpiece). c. 1425-1430
Work has a jewel like quality
*Alfred Stieglitz. The Steerage. 1907
Work serves more of an artistic expression, not documentary like O'Sullivan and Gardner. It does document real life, but the artistic function was to show shapes, lines, patterns, tones, etc.. not document real life. Stieglitz wanted it to look almost abstract
