History of Western Visual Art

1. History of Western Visual Art B.C. to 1980 Compiled June 2005 Updated June 2008 Note: This information provided in this presentation should not be relied on for research purposes.

2. Cave Paintings Basic depictions of events and hunting places. Communication more than expression.

3. Grafitto Scratching and carving into stone often above doorways and exterior walls.

4. Medieval Art Often of a religious basis. Laws of the church at the time prohibited the depiction of humans. Paintings were therefore not very accurate. It was considered a sin. Giotto di Bondone – The Kiss of Judas 1304-6

5. Medieval Art - Portraiture Portraits don’t look realistic but reflected fashion at the time. Half shaved heads were the in thing if you didn’t know! Pisanello – Portrait of a Princess - 1433

6. Medieval ArtThe Bayeux Tapestry The Bayeux Tapestry was X metres long and depicted stories relating to the crusades.

7. The Renaissance Sandro Botticelli – La Primavera – 1477-8

8. The Renaissance Meaning Rebirth; The Renaissance was a time where humans saw themselves as more important than the rest of God’s creatures. A time of enlightenment and new beliefs. Human proportions were better but not perfect! Jean Fouquet - Mary and the Child surrounded by Angels 1450 (part of a dyptich) Hans Memling - Vanity

9. The Renaissance Not all of the Renaissance should be taken seriously. Artists such as Hieronymous Bosch mocked human society with outlandish scenes such as here in The Garden of Earthly Delights. Hieronymous Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights (central panel) 1503-4

10. The Renaissance Believe it or not, this painting, Arnolfini Marriage Portrait, is a wedding certificate. Marriage was often celebrated this way and served to remind the couple of their vows. The pregnant look of the lady may be misleading, as this was often the fashion of the day. Pregnancy may also be a sign of urgency. Various symbols give cryptic clues as to the details of the subjects; such as the shoes represent the man’s level of nobility. The dog is a sign of obedience and fidelity from the woman. Jan van Eyck - Arnolfini Marriage Portrait 1434

11. The Renaissance The Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous and most (protected) of all of the paintings within the Renaissance period despite it’s less than impressive size. Mystery surrounds who Mona Lisa actually was, some say she was a nobleman’s daughter while others suggest it is Leonardo himself in drag! Leonardo Da Vinci - The Mona Lisa 1503-5

12. The Renaissance Works were not reserved for canvases only. Master painters like Michelangelo adorned whole walls and ceilings with elaborate heavenly scenes to honour their God. Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel detail Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel

13. Baroque Baroque Art was seen as a celebration of human life, carried over from the Renaissance. Baroque was more elaborate than the art of the Renaissance that was by this stage deemed too conservative. Luca Giordano - The Fall of the Rebel Angels 1666

14. Baroque Andrea Pozzo - The Triumph of St Ignatius of Loyola 1691-4

15. Baroque Painters were employed to paint family portraits which involved the artist usually taking residence within the household to make preliminary sketches and paintings. Note the artist painting the artist and family in the background! This family, like many others had a child with mental disabilities – this was a sign of incest, trying to keep royal blood lines. Diego Velazquez Las Meninas (Ladies in Waiting) 1656

16. Baroque One of the more famous artists of this era was an artist called Rembrandt. His use of striking colour against very dark backgrounds were revolutionary for its time and changed the face of painting techniques. Rembrandt van Rijn - The Night Watch 1642

17. Rococo If the perception of Baroque art was extravagant, Rococo would have just been plain silly in comparison. As the name suggests, Rococo was meant to be over-decorative and over the top. Decadence was at a new point as Aristocrats sought new ways to out do each other within their painting purchases. Jean-Honor'e Fragonard - The Swing 1767

18. Rococo ‘nuff said! Francois BoucherL'Odalisque 1744-5

19. Romanticism Slightly overlooked in the history of Art, Romanticism toned down the elaborate previous Rococo works in favour of expressing influential moments in human tragedies and struggles in a somewhat celebratory way. Hence the name of Romanticism. Jacques-Louis David - The Death of Marat 1793

20. Romanticism Eugene Delacroix - Liberty Leading the People 1830

21. Romanticism A favourite past time of artists of any period was making fun of Aristocratic society, their principal clients. Here depicts a scene of newly weds who are oblivious to the world around them, only interested in their own wants. Note the state of the room (similar to Arnolfini Marriage Portrait?). William Hogarth - Shortly After the Marriage 1742-6

22. Romanticism This scene by Goya represented a scene of human despair and desperation, often used as a symbol of military aggression and human struggle. Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes- The Third of May 1814

23. Romanticism John Constable - The Leaping Horse 1825

24. Romanticism Although the painting may seem ordinary, the subject matter is quite nasty. William Blake painted this scene of Sir Issac Newton conducting scientific scenes at the bottom of the ocean. Science was quite unpopular during these times, often seeking to prove the non-existence of God. William Blake - Newton 1795

25. Realism Realism took off from where Romanticism left off. During these times, artists turned to art of the past to represent feeling s of the present. Many themes I this era were of Medieval themes. Sir John Everett Millais - Ophelia 1851-2

26. Realism Well known artist of this era was J.W. Waterhouse. His paintings were incredibly detailed and dealt with mythical stories. He and the other Romantic artists were largely overshadowed by further art movements that were about to suddenly take hold. J.W. Waterhouse Circe Invidiosa 1892 J. W. Waterhouse A Naiad 1893

27. Australian Realism – The Heidelberg School

28. …and then disaster struck!!!... The invention of the camera was a huge loss for artists whose primary source of income was painting portraits of aristocratic society. Artists had to re-invent themselves if they were to survive. This is where the real fun begins!

29. Impressionism Through Impressionism, artists found a way to compete with the popularity of the camera and it was to do what the camera couldn’t; represent colour! Impressionism caused an uproar when it was first introduced. Seen as lazy painting, the painters were labelled as impression makers rather than painters. This name stuck and was adopted by the Impressionists. Edouard Manet - Olympia 1863

30. Impressionism Not only was the affects of light studied, but more emphasis was given to the lower working classes who the artists among. This was not seen as great subject matter by critics; “Who wants to look at a group of commoners?” This was not the first time however that artists chose to represent the working classes in their works. Edgar Degas - The Laundresses 1884

31. Impressionism The Impressionists experimented with the effects of colour and light often painting the same object over various parts of the day, noting the changes in colour. Edouard Monet Haystacks 1891

32. Impressionism Georges Seurat was able to further explore the effects of light with this Impressionist technique called Pointilism. This technique involved painting many thousands of dots of dissimilar colours to create tone and shade. Example: the use of orange and blue to make the green in the grass. Georges Seurat - Grande Jatte 1859-61

33. Impressionism A significant impressionist artist was Paul Gauguin who was so interested in the effects of colour that he traveled the world seeking new approaches. So impressed (on pun intended) with the art of the native Polynesians that he employed their colour workings in his pieces. He later returned to the country and spent the rest of his life among the people. I’m not quite sure what Gauguin (pictured on the left) is pondering whist gazing upon the native women… Paul GauguinContes Barbares 1902

34. Australian Impressionism Charles ConderA Holiday in Mentone 1888

35. Post-Impressionism Although often mistaken for an Impressionist artist, Vincent VanGogh generated a movement known as Post Impressionism that pushed colour theory to new limits and opened the door to further art movements that were more interested in the emotional look of VanGogh’s work more than his colour. Vincent VanGogh - Starry Night 1889

36. Vincent VanGogh Vincent VanGogh was a tragic figure of art. He was rumoured to have never sold a painting in his life, despite his current value. He also cut off an ear and mailed it to a lover in a desperate bid to prove his love…maybe he just wanted to keep an ear on things!

37. Symbolism Symbolist artists, such as Edvard Munch were inspired by the earlier works of artists such as VanGogh. Munch was interested in what emotions colour can create as well as symbolising human emotions, in this case a complete loss of control in The Scream. Edvard Munch – The Scream 1893 Edvard Munch - The Sick Child 1885-6

38. Expressionism Expressionists carried the thoughts of the Symbolists even further, not just relying on colours to express their emotions. Images of horror, despair, angst and frustration were common images within the Expressionists. They used art to vent their frustrations of world events at rhe time such as the World Wars, Nazi occupation, extermination of the Jews, The Great Depression etc. Franz Marc - The Large Blue Horses 1911

39. Expressionism Max Beckman - Night 1918-19 George Grosz – Pillars of Society 1926

40. Abstraction - Cubism Abstraction grew out of Expressionism when artists employed three-dimensional measures (on a two-dimensional plane) to get their measures across. Many famous artists were inspired by this movement. The common though of Cubist artists was the breakdown of all things into squares, circles and triangles – basically we are all made up of cubic shapes! Raymand Duchamp-Villon - Head of a Horse Georges Braque - Fruit Dish and Cards 1913 Fernand Leger - Woman with a Cat 1921

41. Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso - Weeping Woman 1937 Pablo Picasso was arguably the western world’s most influential artist. He had obvious talent at an early age but it was his ability to re-invent his art into different forms that made him the household name he is today.

42. Picasso - Progression Blue Period Cubist Pablo Picasso – The Family of Saltimbanques 1905 Pablo Picasso – Three Musicians 19XX Pablo Picasso – XXXX 19XX Rose Period

43. Picasso - Guernica One of Pablo Picasso’s most powerful pieces of art was titled Guernica. Guernica was Picasso’s response to the Nazi bombing of a Spanish town of the same name, painted in 1937 (under 2 weeks). This painting is hung in the United Nations headquarters, seeking to remind people of the horrific consequences of war. Pablo Picasso – Guernica 1937

44. Fauvism Fauvism grew out of Impressionism and gained its influences from Cubism. The most renown artist of the Fauvist movement was Henri Matisse. Henri MatisseThe Sorrows of the King 1952

45. Dadaism Dadaism was also inspired by the Abstract Expressionists and formed around the same time as Cubists. Dadaists mocked current and past art forms and as the name suggests – took themes very lightly, having fun with art! Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray was the most famous artist within this movement. Marcel Duchamp L.H.O.O.Q Man Ray XXXX 19XX The Dadaists were one group whose reputations exceeded their abilities!

46. Marcel Duchamp Marcel Duchamp was Pablo Picasso’s artistic rival and considered by many art critics to be the more superior of the two. Duchamp considered himself more of a conceptual artist and created work that shocked. His finest example was his urinal sculpture – judged as the most influental piece of Modern art! …was this when art went down the drain?… Marcel DuchampFountain 1917

47. Surrealism Surrealism was a form of abstraction that did not distort images but distort reality – effectively making the unreal look real – hence the word surreal. Influential artist in this time were Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. Australian artists included Jeffrey Smart and James Gleeson. Salvador Dali - Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach 1938

48. Salvador Dali The most famous Surrealist of all and probably the first professional performance artist. Salvador Dali was art 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! He put a lot of people off art within his actions. Through his outrageous behaviour, he attracted more than his fair share of attention. Luckily for him, his artistic ability lived up to his expectations. Salvador Dali - Raphaelesque Head Exploding 1951 Salvador Dali - Slave Market with Disappearing Bustof Voltaire 1940

49. Salvador Dali There are many hidden and obscure references within Dali’s work. In this piece, titled The Persistence of Memory is a reminder of time catching up with you. The limp clocks represent his impotence. Salvador Dali - The Persistence of Memory 1931

50. Australian Surrealism Jeffrey Smart – Cahill Expressway James Gleeson - We Inhabit The Corrosive Littoral Of Habit 1941