1 Flashcards
aesthetics,
philosophical inquiry
into the nature and expression of beauty
art criticism
explanation of current events to the general public via the press
fine art includes
paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and architecture – produced specifically for appreciation by an audiecne
2 modes of artistic analysis
formal, contextual
formal analysis
focuses on the visual qualities of the work itself
basic assumption of formal analysis
the artist makes decisions related to the visual aspects of the artwork that can reveal to us something about its meanings
contextual analysis
involves looking outside of the work of art (social, religious, economic) in order to determine its meaning in which the work was and continues to be consumed; includes LATER contexts
art history as an academic discipline in
mid-18th century
pliny the elder
ancient roman historian who sought to analyze historical and contemporary art in his text Natural History
Giorgio VAsari
author and artist. during the renaissance, gathered biographies of great italian artists, part and present, in The Lives of the Artists
Johann Joachim Wnckelmann
german scholar who lived during the 18th century enlightenment. shifted away from vasari’s biographical emphasis to a rigorous study of stylistic cevelopment as related to historical context
recent revision of art history
by feminist historians, who have noted that the traditional version of art history has focused largely on white men
the ancient objects that remain are those made of enduring materials such as __, __, __, as opposed to __ or __
stone, metal, fired clay
wood fibers
oldest works of art
cave paintings found in Chauvet Cave in southeastern France
when do the chauvet cave paintings date from
30,000 bce; old stone age (upper paleoithic period)
chauvet cave paintings depict
animals – mammoths, rhinos, lions, horses, buffalos
chauvet cave paintings colors
little yellow,
red ochre, black charcoal
later cave paintings (15,000 to 10,000 bce) discovered in __ and __. __ and __ most famous
france, spain
lascaux, altamira
laxcaux and altamira paintings function?
hunting ceremonies or other ritual behaviors
another well known group of artworks from old stone age.
most famous of which is
fertility figures – small stone female figures that have exaggerated bellies, breasts, and pubic areas
venus/woman of willendorf
venus of willdendorf dates from
28,000 to 25,000 bce
middle stone age aka
mesolithic period
climate during middle stone age
the climate warmed; cave dwellers moved out of their caves and began using rock shelters
rock shelter vs cave paintings
rock shelter paintings depicted the human figure
one cave painting at __ included 1 human figure
lascaux
the art forms most often linked w/ the new stone aga (aka ___) are ____
neolithic period,
rings/rows of rough-hwen stones located in western europe
neolithic period stone artworks – people call the culture
“megalithic”
most well known rock arrangmenet of new stone age
stonehenge on salisbury plain in wiltshire, england; 2100 bce
stonehenge features
concentric rings made w/ sarsen (form of sandstone) stones and smaller “bluestones” (indigenous rocks)
outermost ring of stonehenge
huge sarsen stones in post-and-lintel construction – 2 upright pieces topped w/ crosspiece (lintel)
outside of stonehenge formation to is the vertically placed “heel stone.” when one stands in the center of the rings and looks outward, the heel stone marks
the point at which the sun rises on the midsummer solstice
usually, art thrives in
highly organized cultures w/ stable population centers (usually great cities) that house ruling classes who in turn support the work of artists
ziggurats
stepped pyramids of the sumerians in mesopotamia
art of akkadian dynasty tends to reflect
emphasis on monarchy, w/ akkadian rulers depicted in freestanding and relief sculptures
who invaded akkadians
futi, barbarous mountaineers
best-known works of art during King of Ur (neo-sumerian ruler)’s era were
ziggurats built at the city centers.
ziggurat function
temples, also served as administrative and economic centers
corinthian style vases
set figures against floral, ornamented background
athenian style vases
used black girues, but were more linear and larger in scale
best known ancient greek art
from athens from classical period
during the early classical period, athenian temples were built with
sturdy , Doric columns
sculpture of early classical period was characterized by
solemnity, strength, simplicity of form; most often focused on a figure or scene either in the moment before or the moment after an important action
greek statuary evolved from ___ to
stiff, frontal presentation like that of the egyptians
to increasingly natural-looking figure
contrapposto
pose. aka counter positioning. invented to show the body to its best advantage. standing figure is posed w/ its weight shifted onto one leg, for more relaxed, naturalistic appearnce
most famous middle classical period work
parthenon
architecture declined during the ____ period as athens was defeated in the _____
late classical; peloponnesian
after athens was defeated, the use of ____ became more and more popular
corinthian columns
hellenistic period
increasing influence from eastern civilizations. greek styles blended w/ those of asia minor
notable works of hellenistic period
freestanding sculptures such as Venus de Milo, Laocoon Group (designed to present beauty ideals)
art of etruscan civ is seen as
transition from ideals of greece to pragmatic concerns of the romans
etruscan civ arose in
present day italy in 1st millennium bce
etruscan civ known largely from
arts of tomb decoration
nothing remains of etruscan buildings as these were
constructed of brick and wood
extant etruscan artificats
include sarcophagus lids and other art forms made of baked clay, also bronze objects
paintings that remain from etruscans
those found on the walls and ceilings of tombs. done in bright, flat colors, show figures playing music and dancing as part of funeral celebrations
early roman art reflected
influence of etruscan art
later roman art were
variations of greek works
romans made pioneering advancements in
architecture and engineering
roman discovered equivalent of modern
concrete
romans’ concrete allowed them to
fill the spaces btwn stone walls w/ rokcs and rubble . also build huge domed buildings
hammurabi, the __, was able to
king of city-state babylonia. centralize power in mesopotamia
hammurabi’s endduring legacy
he codified babylonian law. code of hammurabi is the oldest legal code known in its entirety
best known artwork from hammurabi’s period
stone stele onto which hammurabi’s code is carved w/ sculpture in high relief at the top that depicts hammurabi receiving inspiration for his code of law from the sun god, shamash
which culture dominated in northern mesopotamia
assyrians
most notable assyrian artworks
relief carvings, which often depict battles, sieges, hunts, and other iimportant events
famous hanging gardens of babylon were constructed during
neo-babylonian period
/ishtar gate
gateway to the great ziggurat of the temple of Bel, considered one of the greatest works of architecture in which animals figures are superimposed on a walled surface. constructed during neo babylonian period
persian empire fluorished in
present day iran. 538 bce - 330 bce
persians were notable for their
impressive architectural achievements
most important persian work
palace persepolis. constructed of stone, brick, wood; reflects influence of egyptian archicture
ancient egyptian civ dates
3000 bce to 332 bce
egypt was conquered by
alexander the great
list recognizable works of ancient egypt
Sphinx
Giza pyramids
larger than life statues of pharoahs
portrait head of queen nefertiti
hierarchical scale
uses status of figures/objects to determine their relative sizes within an artwork; featured in much egyptian art
function of palette of king narmer
ceremonial palette for mixing cosmetics
image of palette of king narmer
narmer holds hair of a fallen enemy. arm raised for devliering deathblow. smaller figures of efeated enemies
palette of king narmer was relic from
old kingdom
fractional representation
figures are presented so that each part of the body is shown as clearly as possible. head is in profile w/ eye in frontal view, torso in full frontal view; lower body, legs, feet in profile
most famous egyptian tomb
that of boy king tutankhamun
tut’s mask
found in innermost layer of sarcophagus. made of gold, decoraged w/ blue glass and smiprecious stones
3 major cultures of aegean sea
cycladic, minoan, mycenaean
art centers of 3 greek cultures
cycladic - cyclades (group of islands in the aegean)
minoan - knossos on crete
myceneaen - city of mycenae on greek mainlaid
minoan paintings took 2 major forms
- frescoes on palace walls
2. pottery designs
romans pioneered the use of the curved
arch, using this form to build bridges and aqueducts
2 buildings that can still be seen in rome
colosseum, pantheon
romans didnt present ___ depictions of subjects; rather, they favored ___
naturalistic;
idealistic style that highlighted roman ideals
common funerary practice during roman republic
members carry small carved images of deceased family member
best known art from byzantine empire
mosaic work in which small ceramic tiles, pieces of
stone, or glass were set into a ground material to
create large murals. largely christian in content
famous byzantine architectural work
hagia sophia in constantinople
byzantine art – many mosaics in thecity of
ravenna
middle ages - international language: ___; books hand copied on __/__
latin;
vellum / parchment
how were books preserved and produced in middle ages
monasteries – monks copied and illustrated books in their collections
illuminated transcripts were so valuable that
they were chained to the tables where they were read
2 notable illuminated manuscripts
book of kells, coronation gospels
illuminated manuscripts helped facilitate
exchange of artistic ideas btwn northern and southern europe
art of nomadic germanic peoples
metalwork. The metal arts of this
time period were abstract, decorative, and geometric
and often took the form of small-scale, portable
jewelry or ornaments made of bronze, silver, or gold
and covered with patterns of jewels.
vikings’ culture
seafaring; in scandinavia
vikings’ most important medium
wood, used to carve designs and sculptures on their wooden ships
the vikings eventually merged with
those found in anglo-saxon england and celtic ireland. resultant style is often termed hiberno-saxon
dominant art form in later midieval art
architecture of churches
famous example of romanesque style
saint-sernin in toulouse, france
describe romanesque churches
stone vaulted buildings that often replaced earlier churches that had highly flammable wooden roofs. barrel vault
barrel vault
tunnel of arches
vault
arch-shaped structure that is used as a ceiling or as
a support to a roof
Massive walls had to be built to
support
the heavy stone arches of the Romanesque
style
gothic style dates
12th century = 16th century
gothic style was largely applied to
construction of churches.
2 characteristics of gothic style
- pointed arches
2. ribbed vaults
ribbed vaults
framework of thin
stone ribs or arches built under the intersection of
the vaulted sections of the ceiling.
pointed arches gave
an upward, soaring sense to Gothic interiors.
flying buttresses were developed when architects learned that
that the downward and outward pressure
created by the arches of the barrel vault could be
counteracted by the use of flying buttresses
flying buttressses
additional
bracing material and arches placed on the
exterior of the building
flying buttresses allowed for
larger windows, many of which were filled with
beautiful stained glass, and higher ceilings.
A classic
example of a Gothic cathedral i
Chartres Cathedral in France (begun c. 1145; rebuilt after 1194)
The artist most
often mentioned in connection with this transitional
time period (later medieval –> renaissance)
a Florentine named Giotto di
Bondone
Giotto di
Bondone best known for
frescoes
A key advance visible in Giotto’s works
is
his use of a simple perspective, achieved in large
part by overlapping and modeling his figures in the
round
giotto’s simple perspective created the illusion of
a stage
for his figures, giving the viewer a sense of looking
into the event.
Giotto’s works were different from
many Gothic works as
he gave his figures powerful
gestures and emotional expressions.
renaissance was the time period in which __ was 1st developed
paper money
use of paper money led to
vast fortunes
accumulated by notables such as the Medici
family.
big difference in artistic discussion starting in the renaissacne. why did this happen?
the lives and works of individual
artists are often highlighted, while this has not
been the case in our discussion of earlier periods.
emphasis on individual genius
