Topic 5 - The 'lesser' genres Flashcards
What is Still life?
Paintings that show a close-up arrangement of inanimate objects.
What had objects had traditionally provided before still life?
Background to other subjects.
When was still life recognised as a genre in its own right?
Seventeenth-century Holland.
What does Vanitas mean?
Examples of still life with religious overtones, and are concerned to point the viewer towards an awareness of his or her own mortality.
What do art historians call a reminder of mortality?
Memento mori e.g. …
Which items might symbolise the futility and transience of earthly human life and pleasure?
- A skull.
- Expensive items.
- A snuffed-out candle.
- An extinguished lamp.
What is Superrealism/Photorealism/
Hyperrealism and how is it characterised?
A style that emerged in the US.
It is characterised by an unnerving and incredible level of realism ~ surrealist artists often imitate photographs.
What are the four genres that come below history painting in the academic hierarchy?
Portraiture, genre painting, landscape and still life.
What is a Portrait?
An image that is the outward expression of a person at their most characteristic.
Portraits are usually commissioned for two main reasons:
- Commemoration.
- Propaganda.
We need to think about what several things when studying a portrait, whether single, group, private or public?
Is it a good likeness?
Does it convey a sense of individuality?
Does it give us a sense of identity?
What information does it give us about the sitter?
What information does it give us about the society the sitter comes from?
The power of portraiture lies in the fact that…
It deals not just with the external physical appearance – ‘a good likeness’ – but also with the ‘inner self’.
What does Allegory (in art) mean?
When the subject of the artwork, or the various elements that form the composition, is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning.
What is a Paired portrait?
Two images appear together but in separate frames – a diptych, which can be folded up and closed.
What is a Double portrait?
Feature both individuals within the same frame.
What is Humanism?
The intellectual movement at the heart of Renaissance thought.
What does Side profile allow the painter to do?
Highlight the profile - the lines of the face ~ allow us to identify the individual features of the face/physiognomy.
What is a Landscape painting?
A pictorial representation which is more interested in ‘natural’ scenery than in the actions of any figures within it.
What does Symbolic mean (category of landscape painting)?
Representative of something.
What does Veduta mean (category of landscape painting)?
Faithful view of a specific place (view).
What does Naturalistic mean (category of landscape painting)?
Based on observation.
What does Pastoral mean (category of landscape painting)?
Peaceful, prosperous landscape with sheep and shepherds.
What does Poesie mean (category of landscape painting)?
Venetian idealised landscapes.
What does Romantic sublime mean (category of landscape painting)?
Inspires awe through great scale and power.
What is Genre painting?
Scenes of daily life.
How can we sometimes find that these are well-observed to emphasise a political point about status in genre paintings?
If we look carefully at costume, fashion, pose, gesture, expression.
