Unit 1: Week 1 Flashcards
Name an example of a utilitarian object that the ancient Greeks made that rose to being considered fine art, and state why.
Pottery rose to level of an art form, but the status of individuals did not. The pots were signed by the potter and the painter; what was inside these pots was more valuable than the pot itself.
Why images, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper and Michelangelo’s The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, might be important in non-literate cultures?
It was important to educate them about their religions history and doctrines in a way they could understand since they couldn’t read.
Why were many early American federal building built using classical Greek and Roman columns and imposing stone facades?
It was to reference the values of previous cultures: symbolizing strength and stability; ideals of virtue and integrity.
Explain the American architect Louis Sullivan’s (1856-1924) concept of “Form Follows Function” as seen in the Bauhaus Building in Dessau, Germany.
It rejected decoration and focused on the efficient and functional use of space and materials.
It was a leading school of art, craft, and architecture from 1919-1933
Strongly influenced domestic and industrial designs internationally
Name two of the murals (frescos) in Chapter 1.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo
While copying the works of others is good training, what did artist Georgia O’Keefe feel she must do? Also in what way are O’Keefe’s painting of flowers unique?
She was not going to spend her life doing what had already been done = she was going to do what she wanted, anyway she felt like
She painted close-ups of flowers = to see something in a new way
Explain what the artist James Abbot McNeill Whistler meant when he wanted to pursue what he called “Art for art’s sake.”
He wanted to create art that served no purpose but to express what he found elevating, harmonious, and pleasing to the eye, mind, and soul = They were allowed to follow their creative voices and pursuits.
What are the six elements of design and their dimensions?
Line- 1 dimension = L
Shape- 2 dimensions = L and W
Mass/Volume- 3 dimensions = L, W, and H; quantity of matter
Perspective
Texture
Color
What is Crosshatching and what is its purpose?
It is lines that cross over each other multiple times, it creates the perception of value or dark and light
Name the two broad categories of Shape.
Geometric shapes and Organic Shapes
Regular and ordered shapes using straight lines and curves
Geometric Shapes
Generally irregular and often chaotic
Organic Shapes
What is the difference between Open Form and Closed Form?
Open Form- sculptures that are not solid masses and have openings in them
Closed Form- sculptures that are not pierced or perforated
Mass/Volume
3 Deminsions (L, W, H)
may have interior and exterior contours; and may be open and closed form
Quantity of matter often meaning weight
Color is broken down into how many parts and what are they called?
Hue
Saturation
Brightness
Wavelength of a given color
Longer = red; shorter= violet
Hue
The purity of a color ranges from a neutral gray to a pure color while holding brightness constant
Saturation
The lightness or darkness of color ranges from fully illuminated (pure hue) to fully darkened (black)
Brightness
It is the most prominent element of design and is one of the most powerful yet subjective elements in art
Describes the sensation caused by variations in the wavelength and the intensity of light as it interacts with the human eye
Color
What color model is used in printing newspapers, magazines, books, etc.?
Subtractive Model CMYK = cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
What color model is used on TVs and computer monitors?
RGB Color Model = red, gree, blue
What are the primary colors?
Red, yellow, blue
What are the secondary colors?
Green, orange, purple
What colors (warm or cool) seem to come forward or recede?
Warm (red, orange, yellow)- come forward
Cool (green, blue, and purple)- recede
Yellow can be a cool color and blue can be warm
Visual art, the characteristic of lightness or darkness or a color, ranging from near-white to black
Value
Describes the body of color of a given object
Natural or Local Color
Is how the perception of that color changes as light shifts on an object
Observed Color
A color scheme that uses a single color and an example
Monochromatic; The Old Guitarist by Picasso
A color scheme that uses colors opposite of each other on the color wheel and an example
Complementary; Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
A color scheme using only one of the color wheel (colors next to each other)
Analogous; Still Life with a Class and Oysters by Heem
Mathematical drawing system with the intention of making 3 dimensional objects in and space look realistic in appearance as they coverage on a single vanishing point
One Point Perspective
A system of perspective that uses two points on the horizon to indicate the recession of space on either side of the viewer
Two-Point Perspective
A system of perspective that uses a 3rd point above or below the horizon line to indicate the recession of space above the viewer
Three-Point Perspective
A system of perspective that uses color to stimulate the illusion of space
Atmospheric Perspective
According to the book’s historic developments of the idea of art, explain the theory that art is communication.
Leo Tolstoy developed this: ‘Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected by those feelings and experience them’ = Does not exist because it is impossible to confirm if feelings of the art were successfully conveyed to another person
If it were not handed to them to someone else, it would not be considered art
Explain what is meant by significant form
It was developed by 1913 English art critic Clive Bell: “quality that brings us aesthetic pleasure”
Aesthetics are impossible to measure or reliably define = pleasure only exists in the viewer, not the object
Explain what is the institutional theory of art
Promoted in 1960s by American philosophers: George Dickie and Arthur Danto: Art is an object or set of conditions that have been designated as art by a person = mostly defines who has the power to define art (political issue not an aesthetic one)
Science = from the world into the mind (allows to understand how the world works)
Art = from the mind into the world (our experience with the world)
Definition of Art
What is the distinction between art and craft?
Most commonly understood as one based on the use or end purpose of an object, or an effect of the material used
Objects intended use was a part of daily living
Set of rules that govern not only how the work is to be constructed but also the outcome
Craft
A free and open-ended exploration that doesn’t depend on a pre-determined formula for its outcome or validity
Art
Give reasons that were mentioned in the text of why art matters?
To equip you with intellectual tools that will enable you to analyse, decipher, and interpret works of wat as bearers of meaning
To make your own decisions about the merit of those works
To integrate those decisions into you daily lives
Discuss how the ancient Greek myth of Zeuxis and Parhassios, relates to the Greek’s idea of what visual art should be?
An artist’s goal was to copy the original image = appear in the realism of ancient Greek sculpture and pottery (mimesis)
What is the ancient Greek myth of Zeuxis and Parhassios about?
They competed for the title of the greatest painter. Zeuxis painted realistic grapes that fooled a bird. Parhassious painted realistic curtains that fooled (trompe l’oeil) a man. Parhassious felt like he won since he fooled someone who had a bigger understanding.
An approach to defining art as a copy of perceived reality (imitation of the real world)
Mimesis
The design and construction of buildings or other complex structures
Architecture
A person or thing regarded as representative of something, often religious (an image or likeness that is used as a guide to religious worship)
Example: St. Sebastian was a captain of the Roman guard who converted to Christianity and was sentenced to death before a squad. He survived and later attributed to the power of their religion
Icon
The use of images to represent ideas or qualities
Symbolism
A way of bringing hidden emotions to the surface so they may be recognized and understood more clearly
Can arise from perceptions of grief, good, evil, or injustice
Catharsis; Example: The Raft of Medusa- he condemns the French government for the sinking ship
What are the roles of the viewer?
- Simply enjoy looking at the work of art without feeling the need for particular about it or the artist
- Sometimes it is helpful to have some info about the artist or artwork to better understand appreciate what we are looking at
Only has one intricate and twisting path to the center
The repetitive and focused movement of walking while absorbed in prayer enhanced the devotional experience for the worshiper on both a physical and spiritual level
Labyrinth
The line produced by the movement of the artist’s hand, arm, or body, of a kind of dance with the material as seen here with Jackson Pollock
Gesture
A basic means for recording and symbolizing ideas, observations, and feelings: primary means of visual communication
Infinite series of points that are arranged in a direction
Can be active or static, aggressive or passive, sensual or mechanical
Line
