WELCOME TO THE

FACULTY OF ART AND

DESIGN, UiTM and….
• WELCOME TO ATH435 ART
AND DESIGN HISTORY AND THEORY
 BIODATA
• RADIN ERUS
• BA FINE ART
• MA FINE ART TECH, MA EDUCATION (VA)

•019 6240016
• radinerus@uitm.edu.my
 ATH435
ART AND DESIGN
HISTORY AND
THEORY
 COURSE CODE
ATH 435
• COURSE : ART AND DESIGN HISTORY AND THEORY
• CREDIT UNIT : 2
• LEVEL : BA HONS
• PART/SEM : 01
• STATUS :CORE
 COURSE OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, student should be able
to;
• Describe the theory and principles of art and
design
• Conduct appropriate appreciation based on the
aspects of formalism and theory of art and
design.
• Identify stylistic development in Art and design
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
• This course introduces student to the
basic knowledge of Art and Design History
and Theory. This includes the classical,
modern and postmodern theory of Art and
pre-modern, modern and postmodern
theory of Design. The method of
appreciation will be based on the
Formalism, contextualism and the
underlying Art and Design Theory.
 ASSESSMENT
• CLASS PARTICIPATION
AND TEST 40%
• FINAL EXAMINATION 60%
• TOTAL 100%

• PASSING MARKS 50%

 ATH435
ART AND DESIGN HISTORY
AND THEORY

LECTURE # 1
INTRODUCTION
WHY DO WE NEED THEORY
COURSES IN ART AND
DESIGN?
 Overall Concept of Theory
Courses
• Intellectual discourse
• Visual Literacy skills
• Cultural meaning
• Analysis of Form, Content, Context
• Communication skills
 What is art?

Art is the desire of a man to

express himself, to record the
reactions of his personality to
the world he lives in.
--Amy Lowell
‘Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the
artist has experienced’
Leo Tolstoy [1897]
[thinkexist.com/]

‘Art is a human activity having for its purpose the

transmission to others of the highest and the best feelings
to which men have risen.
Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man
consciously by means of certain signs, hands on to others
feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected
by those feelings and experience them’
Leo Tolstoy
quote.robertgenn.com
 What is art?

Art is the study of FORM and CONTENT

What is visual art?

The visual arts are those creations we can look
at, such as drawings, paintings, photography
and sculptures
 FORM
All those features of a work of art that
compose its unity and individuality as an
object of sensory experience.
www.britannica.com/ebc
FORM = ELEMENTS AND
PRINCIPLES OF ART
 FORM/ FORMALISTIC ASPECTS

ELEMENTS OF ART PRINCIPLES OF ART/DESIGN

Color Balance
Form Contrast
Line Emphasis
Shape Proportion
Space Pattern
Texture Rhythm
Value Unity
Variety
 ELEMENTS OF ART
• Color www.sanford.artedventures.com

• Form
• Line
• Shape
• Space
• Texture
• Value
 PRINCIPLES OF ART/DESIGN
• Balance
• Contrast
• Emphasis
• Proportion
• Pattern
• Rhythm
• Unity
• Variety www.sanford.artedventures.com
 CONTENT
• is idea-based and means (1) what the
artist meant to portray, (2) what the
artist actually did portray and (3) how
we react, as individuals, to both the
intended and actual messages.
arthistory.about.com/
 CONTENT
consists of

SUBJECT and
ICONOGRAPHY
 [Example of] CATEGORY OF SUBJECTS

Historical
Religious
Landscape
Still Life
Literary
Domestic scenes
Mythological
Portrait
Allegory &
Personification
 The word iconography literally means
"image writing"

ICONOGRAPHY identification, description,

classification, and interpretation of
symbols, themes, and subject matter
in the visual arts.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/281529/iconography
Iconography is the study of symbols depicted in a
work of art. Traditionally, these symbols derive from
a readily recognizable, common currency of cultural
or religious experience.
http://www.biddingtons.com/content/pedigreeicon.html
WHAT IS ART HISTORY?
Art history is the study of
objects of art in their historical
and stylistic contexts
 Definition of THEORY

The branch of a science or art that deals

with its principles or
methods. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theory

The general or abstract principles of a

body of fact, a science, or an art
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory
ART HISTORY AND THEORY
• A STUDY ON THE FORM AND
CONTENT OF ART/DESIGN WORK
WITH EMPHASIZE ON STYLISTIC
DEVELOPMENT AND THEORETICAL
PRINCIPLES.
ART HISTORY AND THEORY

To help us understand the

symbol and meaning behind every object ,
image or subject matter in art,
we need to understand the historical and social
background of the artist, art period and
society. Thus the knowledge of
Art history and Theory must be studied
to enhance the appreciation of art
 Key questionswww.creativity-portal.com
• What is art?
• Why is artistic expression important to our
lives?
• What's the difference between art and
craft?
• How is the knowledge of art history,
famous masters, evolving art forms, art
materials, and art methods useful to us
today?
 PHILOSOPHY OF ART
Levels of Studies AND AESTHETICS
Theory and philosophy
In Theory of of beauty. Studies on ideas about
Art beauty and related concepts,
value of aesthetic experience and
the variety of aesthetic attitudes.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/aestheti/
ART CRITICISM
the analysis and evaluation of works of art. More
subtly, art criticism is often tied to theory; it is
interpretive, involving the effort to understand a
particular work of art from a theoretical perspective
and to establish its significance in the history of art.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/143436/art-criticism

Art history is the study of

objects of art in their historical
and stylistic contexts
http://arthistory.eu/.

ART APPRECIATION
The introduction of basic principles of
visual literacy — especially the
fundamentals of formal analysis
without reference to iconography or
historical context — to general
audiences for the purpose of
enhancing their enjoyment of works
of art in non- academic contexts
www.artlex.com
No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock, 8’x4’ . Abstract Expressionist
artist,Year of Sale: 2006
Sale Price: $140 million
Currency Adjusted: $149.70 million
Why does the price of Pollock’s is even higher than
buying a high end SUKHOI which is just around
USD100million?
 The answer
The Elements of Intellectuality
- Form
- Content
- Context
- Historical documentation
- Cultural meaning
- Heroic cultural domination
- Investment and opportunity
 Any form of art is a form of
power, it has impact, it can
affect change-it can not only
move us, it makes us move.
--Ossie Davis
I want to touch people
with my art. I want them to
say he feels deeply, he
feels tenderly.
- Vincent van Gogh
 Understanding the concept
• ATH 435 as a case study
• The idea is how to inculcate the element of
intellectuality in history and theory of art
and design among the students. They are
supposed to appreciate, understand and
realize the cultural and intellectual
meanings of art and design work.
• Of course, firstly they need to learn how to
read these so called art and design works.
 ATH435 – SYLLABUS CONTENT
Introduction
Ancient Art History and Theory
Classical Art History and Theory
Modern and Postmodern Art History and Theory
Pre-Modern Design Theory
Modern Design Theory
Postmodern Design Theory
Contemporary Art and Design Theory
 ANCIENT ART
• PREHISTORIC ART
• EGYPTIAN ART
• MESOPOTAMIAN ART
• AEGEAN ART
• ETRUSCAN ART
 HALL OF BULLS
[CAVE PAINTING - Paleolithic]

• 15000 – 10000BC
• LASCAUX, FRANCE
• MIXED SPECIES
GROUPING
• BIG SIZED
HUNTING ANIMAL
• THREE KINDS OF
ANIMALS: BULLS,
HORSES AND
DEER
 MASK OF TUTANKHAMEN, 1323BC, 18TH DYNASTY, 1’ 9”

• AMARNA PERIOD
• SOFT, SENSOUS
APPROACH
• FOUND IN TUTANKHAMEN
TOMB AT THEBES
• GOLD AND PRECIOUS
STONES
• COLLECTION OF CAIRO
MUSEUM, EGYPT
• TUTANKHAMEN DIED AT
THE AGE OF 18.
 CLASSICAL ART
• GREEK ART
• ROMAN ART
• EARLY CHRISTIAN ART
• BYZANTINE ART
• ISLAMIC ART
• RENAISSANCE
• 17, 18TH CENTURY ART
 Prima Porta Augustus
Anonymous, 20 bc ,White Marble ,Rome, Vatican
Museums, 6’ 8” HIGH
RAPHAEL, The School of Athens
1509-1510
Fresco,
500 × 770 cm
Vatican City, Apostolic Palace
 MODERN AND POSTMODERN ART
• FAUVISM c. 1905
• EXPRESSIONISM c. 1905
• CUBISM c. 1907
• FUTURISME c. 1910
• DADAISM c. 1915
• SURREALISM c. 1920’s
• ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM c. 1940’s
• POP ART c. 1950’s
• NEO EXPRESSIONISM
 MARCEL DUCHAMP’S
READYMADE OBJECT
Fountain 1917
Porcelain urinal

Whether Mr Mutt with his own

hand made the fountain has no
importance. He CHOSE it. He took
an ordinary article of life, place it
so that its useful significance
disappeared under the new title
and point of view – created a new
thought for that object
 Robert Rauschenberg,
Canyon, 1959, Combine
Rauschenberg's combine
Painting
painting “Winter Pool,”
from 1959.

Blurring the distinction between art and life

- Rauschenberg
 Untitled, 1984
Acrylic, oil paintstick, and silkscreen on canvas,
88x77 inches
Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat; courtesy

Robert Miller Gallery, New York

EXAMPLE OF APPRECIATION
OF ART HISTORY AND
THEORY
Hall of Bulls at Lascaux
 HALL OF BULLS
[CAVE PAINTING]

• 15000 – 10000BC
• LASCAUX, FRANCE
• MIXED SPECIES
GROUPING
• BIG SIZED HUNTING
ANIMAL
• THREE KINDS OF
ANIMALS: BULLS,
HORSES AND DEER
 FORMALISTIC ASPECTS

• Bold outlines • Naturalistic

• Normally big size representation of
hunting animal animal figure
• Limited colours – • Mixed species
red, black, ochre grouping of animal-
• No depiction of bulls, horses and
space or deers
perpective • Painted on cave
wall and ceiling
 THEORY 0F ART
• Henri Breuil interpreted the cave paintings as being hunting magic, meant
to increase the number of animals.
• Some theories hold that they may have been a way of transmitting
information, while
• Other theories ascribe them a religious or ceremonial purpose
• David Lewis-Williams suggests that the paintings were made by
Cro-Magnon shamans. The shaman would retreat into the darkness of the
caves, enter into a trance state and then paint images of their visions,
perhaps with some notion of drawing power out of the cave walls
themselves. This goes some way toward explaining the remoteness of
some of the paintings (which often occur in deep or small caves) and the
variety of subject matter (from prey animals to predators and human
hand-prints).