DMA 215 - Unit Two: Arts & Entertainment

Question 1

Who is Duchamp?

Answer 1

He created works from the turn of the century to the 1960s. He was French. His work is associated with Dadaism.

Question 2

Duchamp’s Three Key Points

Answer 2

1. The artist is a mediumistic being who does not “know” what he is doing; known as “Artistic Osmosis”
2. Art can only become an important part of culture in posterity (after the death of the artist). Art survives in posterity.
3. The art coefficient between: unexpressed but intended versus unintentionally expressed
   - There is a relationship between what is unexpressed but intended by the artist, and what is unintentionally expressed by the artist that is discovered by the spectator.
   - Art can be a beautiful accident.

Question 3

(Duchamp) Two important factors of the creation of art

Answer 3

The artist and the spectator; Art is 50% done in the studio, the spectator completes the art

Question 4

What is considered “High Culture”

Answer 4

• Art (stuff in a museum that is sold)
• Preservation Art / Classical (has a value because it has an antique status)
• Educational Art (art that is funded)
  Example: Duchamp’s Urinal - it’s considered high culture because it was for that time period

Question 5

What is considered “Low Culture”

Answer 5

• Entertainment (movies, TV, games)
• Sports
• Porn / Violent Media

Question 6

What is considered “The Underground”

Answer 6

• Independent films
• Alternative music & sub-cultures
• Graffiti, remix, DIY
  (DIY - “I can do that” attitude ex. Duchamp’s Urinal)
• Usually transitions to deviant art

Example that moved towards low culture:
Shedpard Fairey’s “Obey” label. His ambition was to create a fashing brand.

Example that moved towards high culture:
Banksy’s “Exit through the gift shop”. He was one of the worlds most famous street artists.

Question 7

(Ken Robinson) What are the two reasons every country is trying to reform public education

Answer 7

Economic Needs- how do we educate children to take their place in economies of the 21st century when we can’t anticipate what the economy will look like next week?

Cultural Needs - How do we educate children so they have a sense of cultural identity and we can pass on the cultural genes of our communities while being part of the process of globalization?

The purpose of going to school is so one can learn and use the knowledge they learn in a discussion elsewhere (like at a cocktail party)

Question 8

(Ken Robinson) What is the difference between anesthetic and aesthetic

Answer 8

Anaesthetic - shuts off your senses; deadens yourself to what is happening

Aesthetic - the perception of what you’re looking at; something that is visually stimulating; something you desire; something that wakes you up. - Sir Ken draws Shakespeare as an art that is aesthetic, but in modern day, people aren’y actually awakened by Shakespeare.

Question 9

(Ken Robinson) What is the difference between convergent and divergent thinking?

Answer 9

Convergent thinking - choosing the correct answer from a clearly defined set of possibilities

Divergent thinking - isn’t the same thing as creativity; it is an essential capacity for creativity. It’s the ability to see lots of ways to interpret a question, the ability to see lots of possible answers to a question.

Question 10

(Ken Robinson) What is an example of divergent thinking?

Answer 10

“How many uses can you think of for a paper clip?” Most people will come up with 10 - 15 uses; people who are really good at this may come up with 200.

98% of kindergarteners scored “genius” on a divergent thinking test. 5 years later the same kids were tested and it was concluded that divergent thinking deteriorates

Question 11

(Ken Robinson) How does Robinson define creativity

Answer 11

The process of having original ideas that have value

Question 12

Deviant Art

Answer 12

Deviant art is what is considered “weird” or abnormal. It is considered a sub-culture.

Examples:

• Andy Warhol’s Blow Job
• Jackson Pollock’s Drinking and Affairs
• Jeff Koon’s Made in Heaven

Question 13

Cultured Art

Answer 13

The best art of a culture is determined by the market, what critics say and what people like. Cultured art is considered normal and is art that survives in posterity.

Question 14

What effect does art have on streaming services?

Answer 14

The content on streaming services is becoming more “normal” because it is being watched on a more mainstream basis. For example, netflix subscribers are more likely to watch something on their account (get their monthly $8.99 worth) rather than download a movie on iTunes.

Question 15

What is independent film?

Answer 15

Movies that are not made by Disney, Sony, Fox, Paramount or Warner Brothers.

Question 16

What does art have to do with culture?

Answer 16

Art is an authentic aesthetic experience one actually enjoys

Question 17

What is the effect of photography on art?

Answer 17

Photography allows artists to apply and obtain a more realistic sense to their art. Edgar Degas painted horses with distorted legs; he didn’t get them right until seeing the Muybridge’s The Horse in Motion.

Question 18

Effect of technology on art?

Answer 18

Monet was “impressed” by the feeling of being in nature.

Degas cropped figures out of frame and used strange camera angles in his paintings

Manet made the paint obvious; he did not blend to create realistic “flesh” tones

Ingres painted figures holding their chins because he was using a photo as a reference

Photography = impressionism

Question 19

Jeff Koons

Answer 19

He was born in 1955 in PA. He takes images and objects from popular culture and transforms them by making dramatic shifts in scale, using engineered surfaces etc.

Examples:

• Rabbit
• Michael Jackson and Bubbles
• Balloon Dog