Final Exam Flashcards
Pollock’s “innovations”
- use of pours, splatters and drips
- use of sticks as opposed to brushes
- painting on the floor as opposed to on a canvas
- non-traditional materials such as enamel gloss used for industrial purposes
Pollock’s influences
- pouring and dripping in experimental painting class taught by David Alfaro Siqueiros in NYC
- Navajo sand painting in which artists worked horizontally on the floor instead of vertically
Clement Greenberg’s formalism
artists should focus on the essential properties of their medium
Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism
- artist’s questioned rationality and the meaning of human existence
- the human figure not present in the artwork
- inspired by surrealists, trying to tap into the subconscious
- break with classical traditions
- purely abstract art
Institutional Theory of Art
the institution decides what is art and what isn’t
Minimalism
- purely abstract work devoid of human emotion, subject and narratives
- sought purity of three-dimensional medium (clement Greenberg’s formalism)
- emphasized objecthood
- basic geometric shapes
- industrial, non-traditional materials
Objecthood
tern developed by critic Michael Fried to differentiate Minimalist works from actual “art”. They were nothing more than objects
Post-painterly abstraction
-50’s 60’s
-also known as hard edge painting
Reaction to abstract expressionism
-crisp lines and solid colors to express emotions
New group of artists championed by Clement Greenberg
Pop-art
- early 1960’s
- reaction to abstract expressionism, hard edge painting and minimalism
- led by Andy Warhol, created work inspired by American consumerism and pop culture
Pop-art chracteristics
- Influenced by communication such as advertising, comic books, TV, newspapers and magazines
- view art as a commodity
- satirical view of pop culture
- recognizable imagery
- experimental techniques such as assemblage and mixed media
Feminist Art
- 60’s and 70’s
- addresses American society’s gender gap
- women’s liberation movement=second-wave of feminism
Feminist Art chracteristics
- raise awareness to feminist issues
- use of no-traditional media such as embroidery, photo collage, and video
Land Art chracteristics
- site specific art work
- remote locations
- natural materials or materials that interact with the landscape
- ephemeral quality
- not meant to be displayed in museums or galleries
Spiral Jetty
- abandoned industrial site (oil extraction)
- 1500ft
- black basalt and limestone rocks (stones from the area)
- often underwater due to the changing tides - gives it ephemeral quality
- salt crystal’s molecular structure us a spiral form
- nature reclaimed for art
- eventually reclaimed by erosion for natures
Installation Art
- space and the elements within it are considered a singular work of art
- difference between installation of art and installation art
Installation Art chracteristics
- literal presence of the viewer (the subject)
- ephemeral
- activation- viewer needs to be active by moving around and through the work
- descentering- human condition is fragmented and multiplied, there is not one correct way to look at the world
4 ways to approach the subject in installation art
- psychoanalytical-based on fantasy, places you in the surreal space
- Phenomenological-feel and smell
- Disintegration-take away all the sense and disorient viewer (subject)
- Political
Grafitti
- low income people of color
- hip-hop
- territorial, claiming space
- style (focus on individuality)
- lettering
- pride in craft (free hand bombing)
- competition-hard to reach spaces; crews, respect/disrespect; advertisements
- Alternative to established art world of galleries and museums
- created by young people
- vandalistic, public, global
Street Art (Neo-Pop)
- stencils and stickers
- pop culture (movies and music)
- representational
- irony and humor
- juxtapositions of diverse imagery (“low” and “high” culture)
- political and social commentary
- competition with advertisements
- often sanctioned and protected (Banksy’s works is often protected by plexiglass)
- public, global
“Culture Wars”
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- censorship (funding, limiting what can be displayed, destroy it, remove it)
- critical theory and deconstruction
- advertisement and media
- unsettling and challenging art
- free speech and artistic expression
