320 likes | 655 Views
Introduction to Art History. What is art?. Marcel Duchamp, Fountain , porcelain and black paint, 1917. Is this art?. L-Jan Davidsz de Heem, Still Life , oil on canvas, c 1650, R-Georgia O’Keefe, Red Canna , oil on canvas, 1923*. Determining what is art…. Who was the artist(s)?
E N D
Introduction to Art History What is art?
Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, porcelain and black paint, 1917 Is this art?
L-Jan Davidsz de Heem, Still Life, oil on canvas, c 1650, R-Georgia O’Keefe, Red Canna, oil on canvas, 1923*
Determining what is art… • Who was the artist(s)? • Who was the patron? • What was the intention of the maker? • Does the object satisfy an aesthetic need? • What purpose did the object serve? • How does the object fit into its culture? • How does the object fit into history?
Art History is the formal study of art, architecture and decorative objects from both an aesthetic and historical framework. • Art History uses four methods of analysis: • Formal—analysis of materials, methods, color and line • Stylistic—analysis of objects in broader styles, trends and influences • Iconographic—analysis of the symbolic meaning of the images and composition • Historical Context—connecting the art object to its time frame and place and analyzing how it reflects the values and culture of a particular society
Adraien van der Spelt, Flower Piece with Curtain, oil on canvas, 1658, Chicago*
“William”—This hippo affectionately known as William at Met in New York. • These little hippo figurines were common decorative and tomb objects in Ancient Egypt. • What can we infer about Egyptian culture from their reverence for the hippo?
Christ and the Doctors, 1506Albrecht Durer • Christ and the Doctors was a popular theme of religious paintings. • Why do the doctors (rabbis) look so evil? • What were European attitudes towards Jews? • How did many Germans feel about the Catholic Church?
Art with a Political Purpose • Jacques Louis David painted “Death of Marat” shortly after Marat’s murder in 1793. An architect of the French Revolution, Marat suffered from a skin condition that forced him to spend much of his time in the bath. • In David’s posing of Marat’s corpse, what was David trying to suggest about the life and death of Marat?
Art as Social Critique—Honore Daumier, Rue Transonain, le 15 Avril, 1834, lithograph, 1834*
Art as Self Expression—James Hampton, Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, c 1950-1964*
Impression Sunrise, 1873Claude Monet • The term for artistic movement for Impressionism was taken from the name of this painting. • Monet continually experimented with color. Why is the orange of the sun so intense in this painting? • What event in Europe impelled Monet to paint “au pleine aire”? • What new invention allowed artists to escape their studios and paint outside? • What new technology caused artists to reconsider their painting method?
Sunflowers, August 1888Vincent Van Gogh • How do you think Van Gogh felt when he painted these sunflowers? • What is the purpose of this painting?
Patrons and Collectors • Most art is made for a specific patron or for a collector to purchase • A patron is an individual or group that commissions a work of art • Collectors, either individuals or institutions, purchase works of art either for love of the art, power and prestige or for historical preservation
James Whistler, Symphony in Gray and Green: The Ocean, oil on canvas, 1866, The Frick Collection