FA Section I (Art) Flashcards
What is art history?
an academic discipline dedicated to the social, cultural, and economic contexts art was created in
Art history is dedicated to the _______, _________, and ____________ contexts art was created.
social, cultural, and economic
What disciplines is art history closely related to?
anthropology, history, and sociology
What is art?
any visual material created
What did art historians limit their focus to in the past?
fine art
What is fine art?
art made for appreciation by an audience who could understand it
When did art history arise as an academic discipline?
the mid-18th century
Who wrote Natural History?
Pliny the Elder
When did Pliny the Elder live?
23-79 CE
What did Pliny the Elder do in his book Natural History?
he analyzed historical and contemporary art
Who is Pliny the Elder?
an ancient Roman historian who wrote Natural History
What time period did Giorgio Vasari live in?
the Renaissance
What book did Giorgio Vasari write?
The Lives of the Authors
What did Giorgio Vasari do in The Lives of the Authors?
he compiled the biographies of great Italian artists and analyzed their influence
What is modern art history influenced by?
18th century Enlightenment philosophy
Who has the traditional version of art history mostly focused on?
white males
What are the basic art elements?
line, shape, form, space, color, and texture
What is the most basic of the art elements?
the line
What is a line?
the path of a point moving through space
What are the characteristics of a line?
length, width, and direction
What do artists use lines for?
to express feelings visually
What feelings do horizontal lines create?
peace and tranquility
Where do vertical lines cause the eye to move?
upward
Why were medieval churches created with very high arch ceilings?
to cause the eyes to move upward and create a sense of spiritual awe
What feelings do curved and jagged lines create?
activity
Where is the use of lines most noticeable?
drawing and some types of printmaking
What is shape?
the area that defines a 2D object
What is form?
the space that defines a 3D objects
Is a triangle shape or form?
shape
Is a pyramid shape or form?
form
Is a cone shape or form?
form
Is a square shape or form?
shape
Is a cube shape or form?
form
Shapes and forms can be either ____________ or _______________.
geometric, organic
What sensations do geometric shapes and forms create?
order and stability
What sensations do organic shapes and forms create?
movement and rhythm
What are geometric shapes and forms?
shapes and forms that can be defined mathematically
What are organic shapes and forms?
shapes and forms that are freeform and irregular
What is occupied space known as?
positive space
What is unoccupied space known as?
negative space
What are the types of sculpture?
freestanding and relief
What is a relief sculpture?
a sculpture that projects off another surface
What is a freestanding sculpture?
a sculpture that stands on its own
What are the 2 types of relief sculptures?
high-relief and bas-relief (low-relief)
What are high-relief sculptures?
sculptures that project boldly off another surface
What are bas-relief sculptures?
sculptures that don’t project much off another surface
What is perspective?
the illusion of depth
What type of artwork is perspective used in?
2D artwork
What are contours?
visible borders
Do objects lower on the picture plane appear closer or farther?
closer
Do objects higher on the picture plane appear closer or farther?
farther
What is aerial perspective?
technique that takes into account the ways that fog, smoke, and particles in the air change the appearance of things
When an artist uses aerial perspective, how will farther away objects appear?
lighter and more neutral in color
Black and white checkerboards were a frequent feature in what paintings?
Renaissance interior paintings
What is hue?
the name of a color
What are the 3 primary colors?
red, blue, and yellow
All pigment colors come from which group?
the primary colors
How are secondary colors formed?
through the combining of 2 primary colors
What colors make orange?
red and yellow
What colors make green?
yellow and blue
What colors make violet?
red and purple
How many tertiary colors are there?
6
What are the 6 tertiary colors?
red-violet, violet-blue, blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, and red-orange
How are tertiary colors made?
through the combining of a secondary color and its adjacent primary color
What is the color wheel?
the organization of hues into a visual scheme
Who created the underlying concepts of the color wheel?
Sir Isaac Netwon
When were the underlying concepts of the color wheel created?
the 17th century
When was the color wheel created?
the 17th century
What is value?
the lightness or darkness of a color
How do artists create darker hues?
by adding black
How do artists create lighter hues?
by adding white
Are black, white, and gray hues?
No
What type of color are black, white, and gray?
neutrals
What do black and white make when mixed?
a continuum of grays
What is intensity in art?
the purity of a color
What are the most intense colors?
the unmixed primary colors
What does adding a color to its complement do?
it lowers the intensity of the color, making it more dull or neutral
What happens when colors are mixed? (intensity)
it becomes less intense
When was the relativity of color discovered?
the 19th century
Equal parts of two complements will produce what tone?
a dull, muddy brown tone
What is the relativity of color theory?
that colors look more or less intense/bright depending on the colors placed next to it
Warm and cool colors are ___________ constructed.
culturally
What are the warm colors?
red, orange, and yellow
What do we associate the warm colors with?
the warm of the sun, the heat of a fire, and the dry grass of a summer day
What are the cool colors?
blue, green, and violet
What do we associate the cool colors with?
cool forests, mountain lakes, and snow
Colors can be ____________, _____________, or ______________.
local, optical, arbitrary
What is local color?
the true colors of an object, ex: a grassy field painted green
What is optical color?
the effect that special lighting has on the color of objects
What is arbitrary color?
colors used for their emotional or aesthetic appeal
When have arbitrary colors become more popular?
the 20th and 21st centuries
What is texture?
how things feel or how we think would feel if touched
What are the types of texture in art?
actual and visual
What is actual texture?
texture we can feel and touch
What is visual texture?
the illusion of a textured surface
In what artworks are actual textures more common?
3D artwork
The contrast of light and dark on a surface creates what texture?
a rough texture
The absence of a contrast between light and dark colors creates what texture?
a smooth texture
What is composition in art?
the organization of art elements
What is composition in a painting or other 2D artwork?
how art elements are organized on a picture plane
What is composition in architecture or other 3D artwork?
how art elements are organized in space
How do artists create a sense of movement or rhythm in their artwork?
by repeating elements
What are 2 aspects of repetition?
motif and pattern
What is a motif?
the single element of a pattern
What would be a motif in a quilt design?
the single squares or other elements used
What is a pattern?
multiple motifs combined to create an overall pattern
What type of pattern is a checkerboard?
a regular pattern
What is balance in art?
the equal distribution of visual weight in a work of art
What is the easiest balance to comprehend?
symmetrical balance
What is symmetrical balance?
when elements are the same on both sides of the central axis, creating symmetry
Why do many artists use approximate symmetrical balance?
to avoid the rigidity and monotony that may appear with symmetrical balance
What is approximate symmetrical balance?
where the elements are slightly varied on each side of the central axis, but show overall symmetry
What is asymmetrical balance?
the organization of unlike objects
Is asymmetrical balance more or less formal than symmetrical balance?
less formal
Is asymmetrical balance harder or easier to achieve than symmetrical balance?
much harder
Contrast of color, value, shape, size, line, or texture creates ___________ to the eye.
interest
An element that contrasts with the rest of a composition creates a __________ __________ where the eye tends to rest.
focal point
What is a focal point in art?
an area where the eye tends to rest, usually contrasts the rest of the piece
What is proportion in art?
the size relationships among parts of a composition
What are 2D processes and art created on?
a flat plane
What attributes do a flat plane have?
height and width
What is the most basic of art processes?
drawing
The earliest artists used what medium to draw on?
rock walls
What is the most common medium to draw on now?
a piece of paper
Undiluted ink has what property?
opacity, as it is opaque
Undiluted ink is __________.
opaque
What is added to make ink more translucent?
water
When did color pastels become popular?
the 1700s
What are color pastels popular for?
creating portraits
What are the main drawbacks to color pastels?
they are very fragile and pastel drawings must cared for
What is the surface of a pastel drawing often sprayed with to reduce smearing?
fixative
What are fixatives?
a solution that is commonly sprayed on pastel drawings to reduce the risk of smearing
Are colored pencils more or less durable than pastels?
more durable
What is printmaking?
mechanically aided 2D processes that allow for the production of multiple original artworks
What does printmaking use to make the image?
a matrix, or printing plate, on which the image is created
What are the types of printmaking?
relief prints, intaglio prints, lithographs, and screen prints
What type of printmaking is most familiar to us?
screen prints
What are screen prints primarily used for?
to make t-shirts
Why are artworks created using printmaking cheaper?
because multiple originals can be made, and it is cheaper to produce
Since when have printmaking techniques been used?
since the development of the printing press in the 15th century
When was the printing press invented?
the 15th century
What is paint made of?
pigments, binders, and solvents
What are pigments?
finely ground materials that give paint its color
What are binders?
a substance that holds together the grains of the pigment and allows the paint to stick to a surface
What are solvents?
liquid that is added to change the consistency of paint or alter its drying time
Clays, gemstones, minerals, and plant and insect materials are examples of what paint material?
pigments
Egg yolks, linseed oil, and wax can be used as what paint material?
binders
Water and oil can be used as what paint material?
solvents
What are the 4 steps to creating a sculpture?
carving, modeling, casting, and construction
What type of sculpture is “Venus de Milo” or Michelangelo’s “Pieta”?
freestanding scultpure
What is architecture?
the art and science of designing and constructing buildings
Specialists in designing structures are known as _____________.
architects
What type of construction is the Greek Parthenon?
post-and-lintel construction
What is post-and-lintel construction?
placing a horizontal beam on top of vertical beams
What are 3 key developments in architecture?
the arch, vault, and dome
What did the arch, vault, and dome allow for?
more interior space and greater height
The Romans were great ___________>
engineers
What type of construction is the Colosseum?
vaulted construction
Where is the Colosseum?
Rome
What civilization developed concrete as a building material?
the Romans
What building style did many medieval churches have?
a skeletal-building style
What are flying buttresses?
external arches that counterbalance the outward thrust of high, vaulted ceilings
During the __________ ____________, many new materials and processes for building were developed.
Industrial Revolution
When was the Crystal Palace built?
1851
Where was the Crystal Palace built?
London
Why was the Crystal Palace built?
for the World’s Fair in London
Why was the Crystal Palace named so?
because it consisted of many glass walls
How were the glass walls of the Crystal Palace held in place?
by a framework of slim, iron words
Where is the Eiffel Tower?
Paris
What is the Eiffel Tower made of?
wrought iron
Where did Antonio Gaudi build his buildings?
Spain
What material did Antonio Gaudi use for his buildings?
cut stone
When did Antonio Gaudi make his buildings?
the late 1800s and early 1900s
Gaudi’s buildings are very _________ in appearance.
organic
What do Gaudi’s buildings not have that most buildings do?
straight lines or flat surfaces
