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
