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Lesson 1 (Part 1) - Definition, Classification, and Purpose of Visual Arts-Merged
Lesson 1 (Part 1) - Definition, Classification, and Purpose of Visual Arts-Merged
Definition
Scope (Classification of Visual Art)
Purpose (The Visual World)
In the Middle Ages, the arts were purely academic or scholarly. It is limited
to a few categories and did not have anything to do with a creation that
people can look at.
During that time, they call it "fine arts" to separate it from the "useful arts."
Eventually, the term "fine arts" was used to describe creation that pleases
the senses.
As the 20th-century approaches, the categories under "fine arts" became
longer and includes the following:
Literature
Visual Arts
Auditory Arts
Performance Arts
GEE3 - Reading Visual Arts
During the Middle Ages, why
do you think it was so
important for the people at
that time to distinguish "fine
arts" from "useful arts?"
Definion
WHAT IS VISUAL ART?
Contemporary Decorative
Traditional (Commercial) Arts and
Fine Arts Arts
Crafts
GEE3 - Reading Visual Arts
Traditional Fine Arts
EARLY ART
C. 3000 BCE - 1300 CE
RENAISSANCE
C. 1300 - 1700
EARLY RENAISSANCE
Italy gave birth to Renaissance
It was in Italy that the Renaissance achieved its fullest
flowering.
It was here that the physical remains of the ancient world—
notably sculpture and architecture —were most numerous and
so most easily studied.
Principle 2:
Faith in the nobility of man
(Humanism).
Principle 3:
The discovery and mastery of
linear perspective. Together,
they made up a revolution in
Western art.
STYLES SUBJECTS
Represented a decisive break Though religious subjects
with the immediate past. continued to predominate,
The change came first—and there was an increasing
most obviously—in sculpture. interest in secular subjects.
During the Renaissance,
being an artist could be
a lucrative career. Most
artists worked solely for
commission and survived
through the patronage
of the aristocratic courts.
Samson and
Delilah c. 1609
ROCCO TO
NEOCLASSICISM
C. 1700-1800
ENLIGHTENMENT
This is the period wherein people
believe that human reason would resolve political and
religious dilemmas
explain the workings of the world, the universe, and
human nature
create harmonious relationships in which superstition,
tyranny, slavery, and oppression would be eliminated
Here, there was an emphasis on “a pursuit of happiness”
that manifested itself in many ways.
Enlightenment also liked intellectual and emotional
dualities.
Rococo Neo-
Classicism
Rococo with its
light-hearted Neoclassicism
subjects, with its serious
delicate colors, historical subjects,
and asymmetric straight lines, and
curves precise outlines
emphasizing prioritizing
frivolity, and morality and self-
sensuality. denial.
THE ROCOCO
By the early 18th century, the heroic
certainties of the Baroque were giving
way to the elegant intricacies of
Rococo.
A conspicuously courtly painting style,
it appealed to sophisticated,
aristocratic patrons.
As a reflection of a supremely
cultivated society, it was briefly
supreme.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews Thomas Gainsborough The Drummond Family Johann Zoffany
NEO-CLASSICISM
Neoclassicism was a deliberate reaction
against the decorative priorities of the
Rococo.
It was a self-conscious return to what was
thought the absolute, severe standards of
the ancient world.
On the whole, it generated huge, dreary
paintings of “improving” history subjects,
and radically fused contemporary political
concerns with a new artistic language.
ROMANTIC AND
ACADEMIC ART
c. 1800 - 1900
NATIONALISM AND REVOLUTION
In this era, the decisive event was the resurgence of France under the
galvanizing influence of Napoleon.
MODERNISM
c. 1900 - 1970
MODERN ART
CONTEMPORARY
ART
c. 1970 -
CONTEMPORARY ART
ART AND TECHNOLOGY
The place of new technologies in contemporary art
is ambiguous.
THE FUTURE
Western art reflects many of today’s headline issues:
among them, political correctness, green issues and
global warming, gender matters, health, and they
wish to deny the inevitability of aging and death.
The most prominent feature of
contemporary art is the fact
that it has no distinct feature
or a single characteristic. It is
defined by the artist's ability to
innovate and bring out a
modern masterpiece.
QUESTION?
References
Cumming, R. (2005). Eyewitness Companions: Art. United States of America: DK Publishing, Inc.
DeWitte, D., Larmann, R., & Shields, M. (2018). Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts. United
States of America: Thames & Hudson
The changing world of visual arts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.toppr.com/guides/history/the-
changing-world-of-visual-arts/the-history-of-visualarts/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Art history: visual arts. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/art/art-history
Visual art. (n.d.). PBS Learning Media. Retrieved from https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/the-
arts/visual-art/society-and-history-of-visualart/
Introduction
0.0.1 The Journey of the Sun God Re, detail from the
inner coffin of Nespawershefi, Third Intermediate Period,
990–969 BCE. Plastered and painted wood.
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England
20INTRODUCTION
emerge victorious, the world will be deprived symbolize the presence of God in nature, and 0.0.2 Frederic Edwin
of the life-giving light of the sun. Re, who in this painting came to represent America, and, Church, Niagara, 1857. Oil
on canvas, 3'61⁄4" × 7'61⁄2".
the image is seated, is protected by another god for many, God’s support for the country. It is a Corcoran Gallery of Art,
carrying a spear. The choice of this subject was magnificent statement of religion, an expression Washington, D.C.
appropriate for a coffin: no doubt Nespawershefi of national pride, and a spectacular form of
hoped to emerge from the underworld to live public education and entertainment.
a happy afterlife, just as Re rose again every Finally, consider a work by the American
morning. For the painter of this coffin, art was artist Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) that also
a way to express profound religious ideas and to features a waterfall (0.0.3, p. 22). Nevelson made
invoke beliefs in a happy life after death. twenty-five painted rectangular and square
The American Frederic Edwin Church wooden sections inside a rectangular frame,
(1826–1900) created a very dramatic painting measuring 18 × 9 ft. Inside some of the rectangles
of a river (or, to be more precise, a waterfall) for we can see undulating curved forms that suggest
a different purpose than that of the Egyptian a cascading waterfall or the froth of white water.
artist who decorated the coffin. Church painted Other forms in the upper right of the square
several views of the Niagara river and falls for resemble squirming fish. Clearly, Nevelson’s
exhibition to a public eager to learn about the purpose is not to show an instantly recognizable
landscape of the still-young American Republic. likeness of a waterfall full of fish. Instead we are
Niagara was a popular subject for artists in invited to examine her carefully constructed
the second half of the nineteenth century, work closely and to feel the sensations of
both because of its grandeur and because it watching water cascade and fish swimming.
symbolized America’s territorial expansion and If we go back to our original question, what
ambitions: it marks the northern border of the is art?, can our consideration of these four very
United States. Church’s Niagara of 1857 (0.0.2) different works help us to find a quick and
is more than 7 ft. wide. It positions the viewer as simple definition that will tell us whether we are
if on the very edge of, or even in, the falls. The looking at something called art? Although they
miraculous vantage point inspired one critic have the same subject matter, these four works The first Part of this book
explains formal analysis,
to remark, “This is Niagara, with the roar left certainly do not have much in common in terms
or the language used
out!” Landscape painters in Church’s time also of their appearance or style. The definition of to read and discuss art:
used the beauty and power of the landscape to art also must include a range of materials (in see 1.1.1, p. 43
INTRODUCTION 21
0.0.3 Louise Nevelson, waterfall, for example). Art communicates ideas
White Vertical Water, 1972. by visual means that can help us see the world
Painted wood, 18 × 9'.
Solomon R. Guggenheim
in new and exciting ways and strengthen our
Museum, New York understanding. In other words, art is a form
of language.
Geometric: predictable
and mathematical Fine Art, Craft, and
Composition: the overall
design or organization of the Commercial Arts
a work
Renaissance: a period
of cultural and artistic The terms we choose to label things often tell us
change in Europe from more about our own attitudes and stereotypes
the fourteenth to the
than about the object under consideration. For
seventeenth century
Ceramic: fire-hardened example, art from cultures outside the Western
clay, often painted, and tradition (such as the traditional arts of Africa or
normally sealed with a shiny
the Pacific Islands) was once termed “Primitive
protective coating
Calligraphy: the art Art,” implying that it was of lesser quality than
of emotive or carefully the “fine” or “high” arts of Europe. But while—as
descriptive hand lettering
in this case—such labels can be misused, they
or handwriting
can nonetheless reflect cultural judgments
and sometimes lead to ways of identifying,
categorizing, and understanding art.
There is no simple definition to enable us
to tell who is an artist and who is not. If we
take a global view, we certainly cannot define
an artist by what he or she made. In Western
culture during some eras of history, particularly
since the Renaissance, painting and sculpture
have been considered to be the most important
categories of art (“high art”), while others,
such as ceramics and furniture, were once
considered less important. The term craft was
usually applied to such works, and their makers
were considered less skilled or of lower status
fact, art can be made from almost anything). than painters and sculptors. This distinction
Nor do these works have a common purpose. arose partly because the cost of producing a fine
The Egyptian coffin painting has a clear religious painting or a beautifully carved marble statue
message. Church’s painting portrays a dramatic was high. Therefore, those things became status
landscape but also carries a powerful message symbols of the rich and powerful. In other
of nationalism and patriotic pride. Hokusai’s cultures, the relative importance of various
painting uses very simple means to convey forms of art was quite different. The people of
restful sensations. Nevelson’s work also focuses ancient Peru placed special value on wool, and
on communicating the sensations of being those who made fine woolen textiles were likely
by a river, but in her case with a meticulously considered as skillful as a painter would be in
The materials used to make constructed geometricc suggestion of one. our society. In China the art of calligraphy
art and how these materials All of these artists arranged their (elegantly painted lettering) was considered one
are used are the subjects
compositions to communicate ideas and of the highest forms of art.
of Part 2: Media and
Processes: see 2.1.12, p. 199 emotions (religious feelings, national pride, Fine art usually refers to a work of art
and 2.6.18, p. 296 or the sensation of watching fish swim down a (traditionally a painting, drawing, carved
INTRODUCTION
sculpture, and sometimes a print) made with
skill and creative imagination to be pleasing
or beautiful to look at. When the Italian artist
Agnolo Bronzino (1503–1572) painted a
portrait of Eleonora of Toledo and her son
Giovanni (0.0.4), he was clearly determined to
demonstrate great skill in his lavish portrait
of this wife of the powerful Duke of Florence,
Cosimo de’ Medici, who was a great patron
of the arts. Eleonora’s dress, which was so
sumptuous that it would have cost more than
the painting itself, is depicted with such great
care that one can almost feel the texture of the
embroidery. Eleonora, her complexion perfect
and her beauty flawless, is composed and icily
aloof, her hand resting on the shoulder of her
young son to draw our attention to him. The
young boy, destined to become a powerful duke
like his father, is equally serious and composed,
as befits a person of high status. Looking at this
painting we can see that Bronzino intended us
to marvel at his skill in producing a supreme
example of fine art that conveys a vivid sense of
wealth and power.
Historically, the graphic arts (those made by
a method that enables reproduction of many
copies of the same image) have been considered
less important, and perhaps less accomplished,
than the fine arts. While Bronzino’s portrait Leader’s task was to design a logo that could be 0.0.4 Agnolo Bronzino,
is unique, made for a single, powerful patron, used on package labels, advertisements, trucks, Eleonora of Toledo and Her
Son, Giovanni, c. 1545.
and probably to be viewed by a select audience, and planes to identify FedEx as a dynamic, global Oil on panel, 451⁄4 × 373⁄4".
works of graphic art are made to be available to organization. The solution was a design that Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
many people and are in that sense much more retained the colors (slightly modified) of the
democratic, which is considered an advantage by existing logo, but shortened the company name
many artists and viewers. Graphic art includes a to FedEx. The type was arranged so that the
wide range of media: books, magazines, posters, white space between the E and x formed a white
advertising, signage, television, computer arrow that suggested speed and precision.
screens, and social media. The design is very simple but we should be
Graphic design is a commercial art, the careful not to assume that it required much Patron: an organization or
essence of which is communication. The less skill and effort than Bronzino’s portrait. individual who sponsors
simplicity of a logo created in 1994 to identify The logo did not involve the same kind of the creation of works of art
Medium (plural media): the
the global brand of the logistics company FedEx material on or from which
(0.0.5) contrasts with the elaborate luxury of an artist chooses to make
Bronzino’s Eleonora. The designer, Lindon a work of art
Graphic design: the use
Leader, discovered that the company’s name at of images, typography, and
the time, Federal Express, gave customers the technology to communicate
impression that it operated only in the United ideas for a client or to
a particular audience
States, rather than internationally. In addition, Logo: a graphic image used
everybody called the company simply FedEx. 0.0.5 FedEx Express logo to identify an idea or entity
INTRODUCTION 23
entirely from the artist’s own ideas and
inspirations. But art is part of a wider context
of things we experience: the visual culture in
which we live, which includes all of the images
that we encounter in our lives. Think about
how many images you saw on your way to class
today. They will have included traffic signs,
roadside billboards, and the logos of businesses
along the highway. Once you arrived on campus,
you will have seen posters informing you of an
upcoming event, the logo of the coffee shop, and
maps directing you to where your class takes
place. Then a glance at your smartphone or
e-mail revealed more ads, all clamoring for your
attention. We live in, and respond to, a world of
images, and so have artists, whether in ancient
Egypt, sixteenth-century Italy, or twenty-first-
century America. In other words, art reflects
the culture in which it was created, not just the
creative achievement of its maker.
The contemporary artist El Anatsui (b. 1944)
makes artworks that reference both the colonial
history of Africa and the impact of modern
consumerism on cultural values. Old Man’s
Clothh (0.0.6) is made from discarded liquor-
bottle tops. El Anatsui chose bottle tops as his
material because European traders bartered
0.0.6 El Anatsui, Old Man’s technical finesse as the detailed realism of alcohol for African goods. Slaves were shipped
Cloth, 2002. Aluminum and the oil painting, or Bronzino’s ability to from Ghana to the sugar plantations of the
copper wire, 15'9" × 17'3⁄4"
communicate the human character. But Caribbean; then in turn, rum was shipped
Leader and his colleagues held focus groups from there back to Africa. El Anatsui’s bottle
to research the public’s impressions of the tops thus remind us of the slave trade, as well
company and developed about 200 concepts as highlighting the way in which modern
before they settled on their chosen design. consumerism discards waste. At the same time,
Then they made protoypes of planes, vans, and the artist’s use of traditional designs suggests
trucks to test it. Leader’s logo has won more both the enduring power and the fragility of
than forty design awards. There is one crucial Ghanaian culture.
difference between the two works, however. The
purpose of the logo is to identify a company
and sell its services. Bronzino’s portrait was Where Is Art?
made to please an individual patron, while the
FedEx logo is intended to communicate with You almost certainly have some art in your
a worldwide audience. home: perhaps a painting in the living room,
a poster in your bedroom, or a beautifully
made flower vase; and there are sculptures and
The Visual World memorials in parks or other public spaces in
Part 3 considers the history
most cities. You have probably also figured out
and context in which
works of art were made: When we look at an artwork made by a single by now that art can be found in many places: in
see 3.1.2, p. 367 artist, we often assume that it was created the form of a coffin, in a book, in any number
INTRODUCTION
of contemporary media, and, of course, in an
art museum.
Our word “museum” comes from the ancient
Greek mouseion, meaning a temple dedicated
to the arts and sciences. The mouseion of
Alexandria in Egypt, founded about 2,400 years
ago, collected and preserved important objects,
still a key function of museums today. Many
of the great European art museums began as
private collections. The famous Louvre Museum
in Paris, France, was originally a fortress and
then a royal palace where the king kept his
personal art collection. When King Louis XIV
moved to his new palace at Versailles, the Louvre
became a residence for the artists he employed.
After the French Revolution (1789–99), the
king’s collection was opened to the public in
the Louvre.
Museums in America had a different history.
0.0.7 Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
The oldest is the Pennsylvania Academy of the
Fine Arts, founded in 1805 as a museum and an
art school. It continues to serve both functions, Virgin of Guadalupe (0.0.8). According to
as do many other American museums. During Catholic tradition, in December 1531 the Virgin
the nineteenth century, prominent business appeared several times, first on Tepeyac hill, then
figures amassed large private collections outside Mexico City, to an indigenous peasant,
of European art. These collectors founded Juan Diego, when she miraculously imprinted
museums modeled on those of Europe. The her own image on his cloak made of cactus fiber.
Brooklyn Museum was founded in 1823, and (Historical evidence, however, suggests that
in the 1870s alone, great museums opened in Using such scientific tools
as X-ray, museums not only
Boston, New York, Philadelphia (0.0.7), and
care for artworks, but can
Chicago. Many public buildings, including also discover clues about
museums, in the United States were built in the how they were made:
Neoclassical style, which involves symmetrical see 4.4.15b, p. 612
INTRODUCTION25
the Virgin was painted in tempera on linen.) although he named it Nuestro Puebloo (Spanish
The Virgin became the symbol of the Mexican for “our town”). Rodia, a construction worker,
nation, not just for Mexicans of Indian descent made his structures out of materials he found
but also for all the citizens of the country—and or that local people brought to him. The towers
not only for devout Catholics. Today, the original are made of steel rods and pipes, wire mesh,
painting of the Virgin is housed in the National and mortar, and decorated with bits of broken
Basilica of St. Mary of Guadalupe at the base glass and pottery. Rodia’s neighbors and the
of Tepeyac hill, which receives hundreds of City of Los Angeles did not approve of his work,
thousands of pilgrims annually. and unsuccessful efforts were made to destroy
0.0.9 Simon Rodia, Watts Some works of art are still in situ, in their it, but the tide eventually turned in his favor.
Towers, 1921–54. Seventeen original locations. For example, from 1921 to In 1990 Watts Towers was named a National
mortar-covered steel 1954 Simon Rodia (1879–1965) built seventeen Historic Landmark, and today it is recognized
sculptures with mosaic,
interconnected structures on a residential internationally and protected as an important
height 99' 6" at tallest point.
1761–1765 East 107th Street, lot in a neighborhood of Los Angeles (0.0.9). work of public art.
Los Angeles, California Rodia’s work is now known as the Watts Towers,
26INTRODUCTION
Who Makes Art?
Who decides what an artwork looks like? The
simple answer might seem to be the artist who
makes it. We know that art has been made
for thousands of years: at least since humans
first painted images on the walls of caves, and
probably long before then. In general, art from
earlier cultures was a communal effort in
which spirituality and notions of the cycle of
life were common themes. As time progressed,
artists addressed social issues (war and social
conscience) and created more individual
expressions of their identity (gender and race).
The great temples of ancient Egypt, Greece,
and Rome were certainly not the work of one
person, and in some cases, we cannot tell if their
overall design was the idea of a single individual.
Archaeologists have discovered near the Valley
of the Kings in Egypt an entire village, Deir
el-Medina, which was occupied by artisans
who made the tombs that we admire today.
The cathedrals of medieval Europe were the
result of the skills of many different artists and
0.0.10 James Abbott matter and quality and shamed the artist for
McNeil Whistler, Nocturne asking “two hundred guineas for flinging a pot
in Black and Gold: The Falling
Rocket, 1875. Oil on canvas,
of paint in the public’s face.” Whistler sued the
233⁄4 × 183⁄8". Detroit famous critic for these comments, and the trial
Institute of Arts, Michigan became a public discussion about the definition
of art and creativity. Ruskin’s lawyer argued
that the painting could not have taken much
time to make, that its subject matter was not
clear, and that it therefore did not have much
value. Whistler defended himself by saying that
it was an artistic arrangement that represented
fireworks. He believed its value lay not just in
the time it took to make the work, but also in the
Tempera: fast-drying knowledge he had gained over a lifetime, which
painting medium made
from pigment mixed with he shared with the public through this work.
water-soluble binder, such Although the jury found in favor of Whistler, he
as egg yolk was awarded an amount equal to pennies today,
In situ: in the location for Part 4 compares works
which it was originally made and the trial led him to bankruptcy. Despite his with common themes,
Medieval: relating to difficulties, however, the outcome of the trial such as the community
the Middle Ages; roughly, artworks Stonehenge and
became a catalyst or inspiration for future artists
between the fall of the The Gates by Christo and
Roman empire and the start to create works that were not always readily Jeanne-Claude: see 4.1.8
of the Renaissance understood or appreciated by all viewers. and 4.1.9, pp. 570–71
INTRODUCTION27
For centuries, in Japan, tea bowls have
Manuscripts: handwritten
been highly esteemed for their beauty. The
texts
bowl seen in 0.0.11 would have been prized
for its subtle variations of color, the pleasant
tactile sensations of its slightly irregular
surface, and its shape. It was designed to be
appreciated slowly as the user sipped tea. The
Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci
(1452–1519) lived approximately 200 years
earlier than the artist who made this tea bowl,
but the two had different ideas of what it meant
to be an artist. The Japanese maker of the tea
bowl worked in a society that valued tradition.
0.0.12 Leonardo da Vinci,
Japanese artists followed with supreme skill the
0.0.11 Hon’ami Koetsu, Tea bowl (called Mount Fuji), Mona Lisa, c. 1503–6. Oil on
Edo period, early 17th century. Raku ware, height 33⁄8". established methods of working and making. wood, 303⁄8 × 207⁄8". Musée
Sakai Collection, Tokyo, Japan Leonardo, however, became famous in an era du Louvre, Paris, France
28INTRODUCTION
Gertrude Stein as an Art Patron
Much of the art that survives today would not only because it represents their interaction, but
have been made without patrons, who financially also because it inspired a new phase of Picasso’s
supported artists or commissioned specific work that relied on his personal vision rather 0.0.13 Man Ray, Gertrude
works of art. The American writer Gertrude Stein than on what he observed, starting him on the Stein with Portrait by Picasso,
1922. Vintage gelatin
(1874–1946) and her brother Leo (1872–1947) path toward Cubism. When someone remarked
silver print, 3¾ × 4¾".
built an outstanding collection of modern art, that Gertrude Stein did not look like her portrait, The Richard and Ellen
which decorated their home in Paris. The weekly Picasso responded, “She will.” Sandor Art Foundation
gatherings Gertrude held in her studio apartment
provided a meeting place for both artists and
writers. In fact, the Steins introduced Pablo
Picasso (1881–1973) and Henri Matisse (1869–
1954) to each other, sparking their friendship and
artistic rivalry.
In 1905, Gertrude Stein commissioned
Picasso to paint her portrait (seen in Man Ray’s
photograph of her, 0.0.13). She wrote that she
sat for Picasso ninety times: he worked on the
painting for months but was never satisfied.
Eventually he abandoned the naturalistic
approach and painted out the details of her facial
features after seeing ancient Iberian sculptures in
Spain and at the Louvre museum in Paris. When
comparing Stein’s actual appearance with her
painted likeness, we see that Picasso replaced the
soft contours of her cheeks, eyes, and mouth with
mask-like forms. The painting is now famous, not
in Europe that valued individual ingenuity. He and the portrait are great works of art, but they
was a supremely talented artist whose visionary display very different ideas of what it means to
interests and inventions extended far beyond the be an artist.
visual arts, to engineering and science. Between We must also consider that artworks are
1503 and 1506 he created a portrait that is now not only the result of the work of those who
probably the most famous painting in the world, made them, but are also influenced by the input
although in his own time the work was virtually of others: the patrons who employ an artist
unknown because it was not commissioned to make a work (see Box: Gertrude Stein as
by an important patron. Leonardo was not an Art Patron); the collectors who buy it; and
content to create a likeness of the subject (Lisa the dealers and gallery owners who sell it. In
Gherardini, wife of a silk merchant in Florence). contemporary times, both the publicist who
The Mona Lisaa smiles and looks out at the presents artworks and the critic who reviews
viewer, inviting us to seek in her face, her pose, them in a newspaper, on TV, or on the Internet
and the surrounding landscape a meditation help to make an artist’s work well known and
on the human soul (0.0.12). Both the tea bowl desirable. All of these people, not just the artist,
INTRODUCTION 29
help to determine what art we see, and to some artistic skill from a master to his students, who
extent they can influence what we consider to be learned by copying his works and those of other
art. By controlling access to those who buy art, famous artists. Only scholars and government
the places where art is displayed, and the media officials could become professional painters.
that inform the public about art and artists, they Other painters were considered to be just
also often influence what kind of art an artist craftspeople whose work was of lower status.
actually produces. Similarly, in medieval Europe, only those trained
Fame and success do not always come in in associations of craftsmen called guilds were
Jean-Michel Basquiat became
an artist’s lifetime. Perhaps the most famous allowed to make works of art. For example,
famous for his graffiti; he example of this is the Dutch painter Vincent there were guilds of carpenters, glassmakers, and
later made canvas paintings van Gogh (1853–1890). In his ten years as an goldsmiths. The system in Europe changed in
critiquing racism, class
active artist, Van Gogh produced about 1,000 the sixteenth century. Schools called academies
injustices, and other social
issues: see 3.10.14, p. 555 drawings, sketches, and watercolors, as well as were organized (first in Italy) to train artists in
around 1,250 other paintings. Very few people a very strict curriculum devised by specialized
Guilds: medieval saw his work in his lifetime, however; he received teachers. It was very difficult to succeed as an
associations of artists, only one favorable notice in a newspaper; his artist without being trained in an Academy.
craftsmen, or tradesmen work was shown in only one exhibition; and In modern Europe and North America, most
Academies: institutions
training artists in both he sold only one painting. Yet today his work is practicing artists are trained in art schools,
the theory of art and extraordinarily famous, it sells for millions of which are sometimes independent schools, but
practical techniques dollars, and in his native Netherlands an entire often part of a university or college that teaches
0.0.14 Jean-Michel museum is devoted to his work. many different subjects. It would be a mistake,
Basquiat, Untitled, 1982. The training of artists also helps to determine however, to assume that artists must be formally
Acrylic, spray paint,
who makes art and what art is shown in galleries trained: as we have seen in the case of Simon
and oilstick on canvas,
72 1⁄8 × 681⁄8". Collection and museums. For example, traditional training Rodia, non-professional, self-taught artists
Yusaku Maezawa for painters in China focused on the passing of (often referred to as “naïve” or “outsider” artists)
have always produced art that is just as admired.
30 INTRODUCTION
Perspectives on Art: Loongkoonan
The Value of Art to Keep Alive Knowledge and Culture
Loongkoonan (born c. 1910) is an Aboriginal from
Western Australia who started painting in her nineties,
depicting with complexity and beauty the land she
lives in. Her paintings have won several prestigious
awards in Australia, and exhibitions of her work have
been shown as far away as the United States.
INTRODUCTION 31
often had some kind of spiritual or magic
significance for its original creators: but they
would have regarded it as holding this value only
when used as intended, not when displayed in
isolation in a museum.
An essential reason why we value art is
because it has the power to tell us something
important about ourselves, to confront us with
ideas and feelings about the human condition
that we recognize as true, but may otherwise
struggle to understand fully. Art is a powerful
means of self-expression because it enables us
to give physical shape or form to thoughts and
sensations and to see them for what they are.
Marc Quinn (b. 1964) is a British artist whose
art often not only focuses on the body but also
deliberately uses his actual body as a basis for
making the work. Since 1991, Quinn has been
making a lifesize self-portrait of his head every
five years, each time using between eight and
ten pints of his blood, cast and then frozen by
means of a refrigerating device (0.0.16). These
works have an immediate impact, partly because
they are made of blood, a substance we recognize
as viscerally related to the life force and that we
0.0.16 Marc Quinn, Self,f 1991. Blood (artist’s), all depend on for survival: looking at Selff we
Form: an object that can be stainless steel, Perspex, and refrigeration equipment, naturally contemplate our own mortality and
defined in three dimensions 817⁄8 × 24 × 243⁄4". Private collection
(height, width, and depth)
our fear of it. The effect is underscored by our
Cast: a sculpture or artwork knowledge that if the refrigerator should fail, the
made by pouring a liquid (for artworks displayed inside glass cases or at a sculpture would dissolve.
example molten metal or
plaster) into a mold
distance from the viewer, who must not touch, Selff is powerful too because when we look at
Monumental: having the care to preserve them in perfect condition is such a raw portrait we instinctively compare its
massive or impressive scale an indication that these works are highly valued. effect on us with how we appear to other people,
Sometimes a work is valued because it is very old which makes us think about self-image: who we
or rare, or indeed unique. really are, physically, and who we think ourselves
In many societies, however, artworks were to be. The use of the head and face, which are so
not made to be sold or displayed where they intimately connected to our sense of identity,
cannot be touched. As we have seen, the Japanese also make the image dramatically arresting, in
made fine tea bowls. These bowls were to be a way that is similar to sculptures from ancient
used as part of a ceremony, involving other cultures, such as Africa and Oceania, where
fine objects, good conversation, and, of course, people have created carved heads, often on
excellent tea. The tea bowl was valued because a monumental scale, that still resonate with
it formed part of a ritual that had social and compelling power. Despite its title, which could
spiritual significance. Similarly, in the African be interpreted as if it were only a portrait of
art section of many museums we can see masks the artist, this is a work that strikes a universal
displayed that were originally made to form human chord as we view and recognize in it our
part of a costume that, in turn, was used in a own physical vulnerability.
ceremony involving other costumed figures, So we see that price is, of course, not the
music, and dancing. In other words, the mask only, or the most important, measure of the
32INTRODUCTION
Perspectives on Art: Tracy Chevalier
Art Inspires a Novel and a Movie
Art can have value as a source of inspiration.
Tracy Chevalier is the author of the bestselling
novel Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999), which
in turn inspired a movie (2003) starring
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. Tracy
tells how her novel was inspired by a poster
of the famous painting by the Dutch painter
Johannes Vermeer.
INTRODUCTION33
value of an artwork. We might place a high value found many reasons to attack, destroy, or
on a work because it is aesthetically pleasing prevent the display of artworks. Art may be
or because its creation involved great skill. censored because it challenges the politically or
This can be true even if there is no possibility economically powerful; because some consider
of our owning it. Many museums organize it pornographic; because it offends religious
large exhibitions of the work of famous artists beliefs; or because it represents values that
because they know that great numbers of people somebody considers offensive or improper.
will pay to see the work. Enthusiasts will travel Probably the most famous contemporary
long distances, even to other continents, to artist who has suffered for his work and his
visit such exhibitions. In 2012, for example, opinions is Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (b. 1957).
758,000 people visited an exhibition of the Ai’s father was a revered Chinese poet and a
work of various Old Master artists, including member of the ruling Communist Party, and
Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earringg (see Ai was involved in the design of the stadium for
Perspectives on Art: Art Inspires a Novel and a the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was therefore,
Movie, p. 33), as well as paintings by Rembrandt, in some ways, an establishment figure in China.
Frans Hals, and Anthony van Dyck at the Tokyo But 2008 was also the year of a devastating
0.0.18a Ai Weiwei,
National Museum, Japan. earthquake during which several schools
S.A.C.R.E.D., a six-part work collapsed, killing many children. Their parents
composed of (i) S upper, complained that poor construction, because
(ii) A ccusers, (iii) C leansing,
(iv) R itual, (v) E ntropy,
Protest and Censorship of Art of official corruption, was responsible for their
(vi) D oubt, 2011–13. Six children’s deaths. Ai made a memorial to the
dioramas in fiberglass and Art can be a form of expression and dead out of children’s backpacks and exhibited
iron, 1481⁄2 × 771⁄2 × 581⁄2". communication so powerful that those who it in Münich, Germany. In January 2011 Chinese
Installed in the Church
are challenged or offended by it wish to government officials ordered the demolition
of Sant’Antonin, Venice,
Italy for the Venice censor it. If we examine the history of the of his studio and in April Ai was arrested for
Biennale 2013 censorship of art, we see that people have “economic crimes.”
34 INTRODUCTION
Studying Art
Why take a course that teaches you how to
look at art? Surely we all have eyes and we all
see the same thing when we look at a work of
art, so we can decide what we like or dislike
about it? In fact, it is not quite that simple. Our
interpretations of works of art may differ from
other people’s according to our perceptions,
beliefs, and ideas. Art is also a form of language;
one that can communicate with us even
more powerfully than written language.
Art communicates so directly with our senses
(of sight, touch, even smell and sound) that it
helps us to understand our own experiences.
By learning to see, we experience new sensations
0.0.18b Ai Weiwei, E ntropy Ai used his imprisonment as inspiration for and ideas that expand our horizons beyond
(detail), from S.A.C.R.E.D., an artwork. Ai told a reporter that for the eighty- our daily lives.
2011–13
one days of his imprisonment, “I memorized
every crack in the ceiling, every mark on the
wall. I’m an artist and architect, so I have a good Content
memory for these things.” After his release Ai Art, as we have already seen, is a form of
had six iron boxes, roughly half-scale models of communication using visual language. All
his cell, installed in a disused Baroque church communication has a purpose, a message—in
in Venice, Italy, at the Biennale exhibition other words, content. In art, content is rarely
(0.0.18a). He named each box (S upper, r A ccusers, just about subject matter, but instead about
C leansing,g R itual, E ntropy,
y D oubt)
t and titled underlying meanings expressed in the way the
the work S.A.C.R.E.D., from the initial letters subject is shown. To understand the content of
of the box titles. Viewers could step onto a a work of art, one must first identify its subject,
block to look through a small slit in the wall to consider the context in which the artwork was
view a scene from Ai’s captivity as if they were made, and then perform a formal analysis (study
themselves guards checking on him. In E ntropy the work’s arrangement of the visual elements
(0.0.18b), viewers see detailed figures of Ai asleep and principles.)
and two guards who stand by his bed.
Other scenes show him eating, being Subject Matter
interrogated, taking a shower, walking the The subject matter of a work offers preliminary
length of his cell, and using the toilet, all under information about its content. As we have seen,
guard in extremely cramped quarters. Ai is although the four works of art at the beginning
Baroque: European artistic considered by many people around the world of this chapter all had a river as their subject, the
and architectural style to be a hero, yet his artwork is highly skeptical, content and purpose of each work was different.
of the late sixteenth even irreverent. At the same time it is informed Of course, there are many artworks in which
to early eighteenth
century, characterized by Chinese history and is of great integrity. the subject matter itself is not clear, and many
by extravagance and In addition to sculptures, photographs, and have no title (indeed, there are artworks that the
emotional intensity videos, Ai has also made a music video and artist specifically designates as “Untitled”)—but
Content: the meaning,
message, or feeling inspired a play. The power of art pervades such artworks still have content. This point
expressed in a work of art Ai’s work and he willingly uses it to share his will be clearer if we understand the concepts of
Representation(al): art that personal message, even though his work cannot representation, non-objectivity, and abstraction.
depicts figures and objects
so that we recognize what be shown in China and he is forbidden from Works of art may be representational
is represented leaving the country. (depicting objects or people so that we can
INTRODUCTION 35
recognize them), or non-objective (depicting
subject matter that is unrecognizable). Most,
however, lie somewhere in between, depending
on their degree of abstraction. These concepts
help us to analyse what the artist had in mind
or wished to communicate to us when creating
the work.
For example, the marble sculpture made
This detail from the by Edmonia Lewis (0.0.19) is a representational
famous Arnolfini Portrait artwork because anyone looking at it would
is representational, agree that there is a man standing with a
with its attention to realistic
chain around his wrist and a woman kneeling
texture and details:
see 3.6.8a, p. 466 beside him with her hands held together. The
proportions of the figures, and the details of
their expressions and clothing, are all made
by the artist to represent reality as closely as
possible. Representational artworks are also
called objective, meaning that everyone agrees
on the subject matter.
Non-objective works of art are deliberately
not recognizable as something we might see in the
world around us. Eva Hesse’s Untitled (Rope Piece)
(0.0.20) is an example of non-objective art. The
materials used to make the artwork, especially the
rope, may be identifiable, but the subject matter is
not. Non-objective art is, by definition, subjective:
without contextual information about the artist’s
intentions or experiences (see p. 37), we each
determine our own interpretations of what the
artwork means or communicates—or whether it
0.0.19 Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free, 1867. Marble, 411⁄4 ×
22 × 17". Howard University Art Gallery, Washington, D.C. means anything at all.
The concepts of representational and non-
objective may be thought of as two endpoints
in a continuum of abstraction. “To abstract”
means to extract something or to emphasize
it. Abstraction in art refers to the ways artists
can emphasize, distort, simplify, or arrange
the formal (visual) elements of an artwork. A
representational work, such as the sculpture by
Edmonia Lewis, contains very little abstraction,
while Eva Hesse’s work is highly abstract.
Allan Houser’s Reveriee is representational
because we can recognize two faces, one larger
and one smaller (0.0.21). We also interpret the
swoop of the form downward from the larger
face to be a back, and that the smaller face
probably represents a baby being held in its
0.0.20 Eva Hesse, Untitled (Rope Piece), 1969–70. Latex, rope, string, and wire, mother’s arms. The mother’s entire body (her
dimensions variable. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York back, arms, and knees) is, however, abstracted
36INTRODUCTION
to be one smooth form in which to cradle the
baby. The baby’s body is just a bump on the lap
of the mother, as if it is swaddled tightly. We can
interpret the subject and form of the sculpture
because the detailed representation of the
figures’ faces enables us to see a mother holding
her baby. Reveriee is a representational work with
a considerable degree of abstraction.
Aaron Douglas’s painting
Context Aspects of Negro Life... is
How can we interpret a work that is several representational, but also
involves a considerable
centuries old and comes from a completely
degree of abstraction:
different culture than our own? Some research see 3.9.23, p. 537
will help us to learn more about such an artwork
by understanding its context. Context includes,
for example, information about the society
0.0.21 (left) Allan Houser,
in which it was created: how was the society
Reverie, 1981. Bronze,
organized and ruled, and who ruled it? Context 25 × 23 × 13", edition of 10.
also includes information about the economics Allan Houser Archives
and religion of the people who created it; specific
details about the person who ordered it made;
and the status of the artist who created it.
If we know more about the context in which
a work of art was made, we can learn more
about it than we probably expected at first
glance. For example, the title of Edmonia Lewis’s
sculpture is Forever Free (opposite), and we learn
from context that it was made in 1867, four
years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation, which freed slaves. We then
better understand that the work expresses the
sense of extraordinary relief felt by two recently
freed slaves , as well as a sense of hope for the
future. Context often helps to enrich even more
our understanding of non-objective works,
which may not be easy to decipher otherwise.
0.0.22 Caspar David Friedrich, Abbey Among Oak Trees, 1809–10.
When Hesse was creating Untitled (Rope Piece) Oil on canvas, 431⁄2 × 673⁄8". Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
(opposite), she had recently been diagnosed with
a brain tumor, from which she died later that appears to represent precisely what the title
year. Elements of her works were often seen as describes. The artist has painted what initially Non-objective, non-
relating to parts of the human body, and Untitled seems simply to be the ruins of a Gothic church objectivity: art that does not
depict a recognizable subject
(Rope Piece) does look like the intestines, veins, flanked by two large oaks where the church’s Abstraction: the degree
or other inner elements. As in this piece, she towers would have been. The content of the to which an image is
frequently used latex, which feels like human work becomes clearer, however, when we altered from an easily
recognizable subject
skin. Latex deteriorates, just as the human body consider the context of Friedrich’s world. He Romantic, Romanticism:
does. Hesse described this work as representing was a German Romantic painter. Romantic movement in nineteenth-
the chaos of life and death. painters often infused scenes of nature with century European culture,
concerned with the power of
Caspar David Friedrich’s (1774–1840) spiritual meaning. Friedrich was also a Lutheran the imagination and greatly
painting Abbey Among Oak Trees (0.0.22) who believed that one’s connection with God valuing intense feeling
INTRODUCTION37
survives even without the intervention of A brief formal analysis of a painting by
Texture: the surface quality
churches and religious leaders. Knowing that British artist David Hockney (b. 1937) will
of a work, for example fine/
coarse, detailed/lacking Friedrich’s works usually contained religious show us how he used the visual language
in detail meaning, one can see the spiritual quality of the elements and principles to create an
Contrast: a drastic
created by the lighting in the painting. Upon apparently simple artwork that in fact reflects
difference between such
elements as color or value closer inspection, it is clear that the landscape on and expresses important events and complex
(lightness/darkness) when is covered with crosses marking burial sites, emotions that were unresolved in his life at the
they are presented together
and a procession of people can be seen in the time (0.0.23).
Middle ground: the
part of a work between snow. Even though the religious structure is Hockney had visited Los Angeles for the first
the foreground and gone, people still come to worship. Because of time in 1964, where he lived in the Hollywood
the background
his beliefs, Friedrich has infused the cold wintry Hills. He was fascinated by the colors, the sun,
Atmospheric perspective:
use of shades of color and scene with spiritual light. and the landscape of the city, so different from
clarity to create the illusion his native Yorkshire in the north of England.
of depth. Closer objects
have warmer tones and clear
Formal Analysis Color plays an important part in this painting,
outlines, while objects set Finally, since art communicates with the viewer as it did in all of Hockney’s Los Angeles works.
further away are cooler and through vision, we should introduce briefly The light, sunny gold of the tiles around the
become hazy
how examining the arrangement of the visual pool contrasts both with the dazzling bright
Space: the distance between
identifiable points or planes elements and principles of an artwork helps us blue of the part of the pool in the middle
Value: the lightness or to analyse its content. ground and with the lush greens and sparkling
darkness of a plane or area
For example, the formal elements might aquamarine of the hills immediately behind.
Organic: having irregular
forms and shapes, as include color, shape, the surface texture The hills furthest from us are painted in lighter,
though derived from (perhaps rough or smooth), and so on. It is hazier colors, using atmospheric perspective
living organisms
worth pointing out that form has another to convey a sense of distance. Together with
Two-dimensional: having
height and width meaning in art: it describes an artwork that can the white, wavy lines suggesting the motion
Emphasis: the principle be defined in three dimensions (height, width, of rippling water, in which we can sense the
of drawing attention to
and depth). For the purposes of understanding movement of the swimmer below, the artist thus
a particular content within
a work formal analysis, however, we are concerned here creates what appears initially to be a calm and
Foreground: the part of with form in the sense of understanding the use beautiful scene, a kind of untroubled paradise.
a work depicted as nearest
of the formal elements in an artwork. The portrait also conveys a sense of space.
to the viewer
When we communicate in writing or speech, The pool and the standing figure on the right
our communication consists of a vocabulary occupy more than half the surface, overlapping
of individual words that are structured by the hills, behind. The light value of the tiles
rules of grammar that enable us to determine around the pool contrasts with the much
meaning. Similarly, in art, the elements (like darker greens of the nearby hills, emphasizing
vocabulary) are organized by the principles (the how close the viewer is to the pool. Hockney
visual equivalent of grammar). In Part 1 of this intensifies this sense of being on the edge
book we will examine in depth the elements and through his use of shape. The sharp, geometric
principles of art: color; form; line; mass; motion angles and shapes formed by the pool contrast
and time; shape; space; texture; value; volume. with the softer, organic shapes of the hills.
In addition, we will discuss the principles: The further the hills stretch away toward the
balance; contrast; emphasis; focal point; pattern; horizon, the more they lack contrast, detail,
proportion; rhythm; scale; unity; variety. and definition. Even on the two-dimensional
Artists can utilize the elements and principles surface of the canvas, this gives us a powerful
in many ways to communicate ideas, emotions, sense of distance: and this, as we look more
beliefs, social or political convictions, and closely at the work, is a clue to the emotional
sensations, visually: in fact there is almost no predicament it seeks to express.
limit to what an artist can achieve by combining The first figure in the painting that the artist
creative imagination with the elements and emphasizes is the man on the right, in reality
principles of art. the artist’s ex-lover, Peter Schlesinger. Our eyes
38INTRODUCTION
are drawn to him by the red of his jacket and and reserved by the edge of the pool in the bright 0.0.23 David Hockney,
also because he is the largest figure in the work. sun, gazing down at the swimmer. As we perceive Portrait of an Artist (Pool with
two figures), 1972. Acrylic on
Because he is in the foreground, Peter appears him from the same viewpoint as the artist, his canvas, 7 × 10'. Art Gallery
to be taller than the hills in the background: figure conveys a certain detachment, an absence of New South Wales,
the artist uses scale to focus our attention on or loss of emotion, which suggests the end of Sydney, Australia
him and to bring him close to the viewer. Line their connection. At the same time, the fractured
also plays a part in making him the focal point surface of the pool, in its watery dissolve,
of the painting: the lines of the far edge of the communicates a sense of things breaking up, and
pool seem to point to Peter’s figure, as do those of deep sadness and loss beneath the brightly Background: the part of
of the tiles he stands on. In turn, Peter’s gaze colored surface of this deceptively tranquil a work depicted furthest
toward the water forms a kind of invisible line scene. Finally, the pale, enigmatic figure of the from the viewer’s space,
often behind the main
(artists call this an implied line) down to the swimmer, heading toward Peter, who looks at subject matter
swimmer in the pool, John St. Clair, a friend of him rather than at us, intimates that he may Scale: the size of an object or
Hockney, whose face is concealed underwater, already have his eyes on the future—from which artwork relative to another
object or artwork, or to a
and who forms the second area of emphasis in the artist is excluded. system of measurement
the painting. As such examples show, if we learn how to Focal point: the center of
Once we combine the formal aspects of this look at art, and appreciate the skill involved in interest or activity in a work
of art, often drawing the
painting with the context of the artist’s life, we its making, we will discover how fascinating and viewer’s attention to the
arrive at the content, or meaning, of the work. even exciting it can be. This book aims to help most important element
Painted in the aftermath of the ending of his you not just to get a good grade in your course, Implied line: a line
not actually drawn but
relationship with Peter Schlesinger, Hockney was but also to begin a lifetime of enjoying and being suggested by elements
creating a portrait of a lost love. Peter stands still inspired by art. in the work
INTRODUCTION39
W H AT I S A RT ? 17
WHAT IS
ART ?
M
ost artists are skilled in relationship with the rest of society
their trade, hard-working, altered significantly. In Ancient,
professional, and aware of Classical, and Medieval times, artists
their business potential, often running were essentially skilled craftsmen
busy, well-organized studios with working for an employer such as a
assistants, not unlike a modern monarch, the Church, or a corporate
architectural practice. The artist organization. Their activities were
whose talent goes unrecognized in his supported and regulated by a
or her lifetime is rare. Much more professional body or guild.
common is the artist who attracts At the beginning of the 16th century,
lavish praise and recognition in his Leonardo da Vinci argued that the
or her lifetime only to sink into artist should be treated as the social
irrecoverable obscurity, a footnote in and intellectual equal of aristocrats
art history rather than a chapter. and scholars. The great artists of the
High Renaissance shared this
THE ARTIST THROUGH HISTORY aspiration, and the majestic flowering
This is not to say that the role of the of their art proves how successful they
artist does not change. It is possible to were in establishing this role. It suited
pinpoint three turning points when both artist and patron and endured
the role of the artist and his and her right up to the end of the 19th
century. It allowed artists to play
Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View Cornelia the fullest possible role in society,
Parker, 1991, mixed media, London: Tate Modern. becoming the confidants of kings and
Cornelia Parker is one of the current stars specializing
in installations for museum settings. In the art history of popes, and sometimes even acting as
the future, will she merit a chapter or just a footnote? diplomats and courtiers.
Francis I Receives the Last Breaths of Leonardo
RADICAL CHANGE da Vinci Ingres, 1818, oil on canvas, Paris: Musée du
The French Revolution of 1789 Petit-Palais. Ingres, a painter firmly in the Classical
tradition of the Renaissance, presents the image of
ushered in profound political and the artist as intellectual giant, the equal of kings.
social changes. The privileged world
of monarchy and aristocracy began to wished to establish a new art that
wane. With a new sense of individual would address issues at the heart
liberty in the air, art attracted new of industrial society and the new
personalities who previously would awareness of human relationships
have ignored an artistic life. The and emotions that were
Romantic spirit exploited this freedom revealed, for example, by
to express individual emotions, and to Freudian analysis. It was
create art about personal experiences. a necessary condition
The Classical tradition, with its for the development
admiration for antiquity and of Modern Art,
disciplined professional training, and led to a rare
continued to flourish alongside chapter in the
Romanticism, but it was in decline. history of art in
This spirit of independence led to which the prime
a turning point in the second half of motivation
the 19th century, and to a new role
for the artist. The change was most Andy Warhol and friends
In the 1960s Warhol commented
forcibly expounded by the radical on his era through images of
French painter, Gustave Courbet, who products such as Coca-
argued that the true artist should be Cola and iconic
figures such as
an outsider to the rest of society, free Marilyn Monroe.
of all normal social conventions and In the 1970s his
at liberty to set his or her own rules. art increasingly
featured images
The idea was potent, particularly to of himself and
the disaffected young, many of whom his followers.
W H AT I S A RT ? 19
of the artist was not widespread enthusiasm. The artist today is often
recognition, professional advancement, a successful businessman or woman
riches, or social success, but a desire (in itself not that new a concept)
to reform society and selling to institutions
human relationships and or private clients such
literally to change the way as large corporations
we see the world. or internet millionaires.
A recent refinement is
THE ARTIST TODAY the artist’s assumption
The most recent turning of a managerial role—
point occurred in the where the artist does not
1960s and the most create a work of art in
articulate advocate for the traditional manner,
another role for the artist but promotes an idea
was Andy Warhol, who or concept, often in
found the image of Caricature of Gustave collaboration with other
the artist as penniless Courbet 1868. The French art creatives, and then
establishment hated Courbet
reformer outdated and because of his radical political manages it as a project
unattractive. He wanted and aesthetic doctrines. or installation, delegating
artists to share in the the physical manufacture
material benefits of the postwar era or assembly of components to
and argued that they should have a select subcontractors.
role in society akin to that of Madison
Avenue advertising executives or PATRONS AND PATRONAGE
businessmen. If you look at the A patron is someone who provides the
lifestyle and careers of most young necessary financial assistance for an
artists born since the 1960s, you can artist to create a work from scratch.
see that they have, by and large,
embraced Warhol’s ideas with
20 W H AT I S A RT ?
DEALERS
In the late 19th century, as the artist found Parisian art dealer
greater freedom to express a private vision, Ambroise Vollard
rather than one shared by, or demanded by, Vollard (1866–1939)
a patron, modern art dealers became a championed the great painters
of the Post-Impressionist era,
necessary intermediary between the artist organizing the first one-man
and collector. Indeed, without the courage shows by Cézanne, Matisse,
of a few adventurous dealers, such as and Picasso.
Paul Durand-Ruel, Ambroise Vollard,
and Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, the
Impressionists and great masters of
Modernism would have found it impossible
to survive economically, and would have
lacked a valuable source of intellectual and
moral encouragement.
to grace the National Galleries of the also because rich people are prepared
world. Other dealers effectively acted to go to almost any lengths to obtain
as patrons for young artists. the rarest of the rare.
The art market used to be rather
secretive. However, the rise of the FILLING SPACE
international auction house since the Very few works of art change the
1960s and the buying and selling of world or the way we see it. The reality
works of art in full public view, has is that most art does little more than
fueled popular interest in record- fill a space. This is not a criticism, for
breaking prices. In relative and
absolute terms, major works of art RECORD PRICES FOR ARTISTS’ WORK
now command more money than ever The figures given here are the prices paid
before. This is partly because of their at the time (in US dollars) with no account
increasing scarcity in the market place, taken of subsequent inflation.
for once they enter a public collection, Garçon à la pipe $93m, 2004
it is most improbable that they will Pablo Picasso
come back on the market. And it is Portrait of Dr. Gachet $75m, 1990
Vincent Van Gogh
Au Moulin de la Galette $71m, 2002
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Massacre of the Innocents $68m, 2002
Sir Peter Paul Rubens
Rideau, cruchon et compotier $55m, 1999
Paul Cézanne
Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici $32m, 1989
Jacopo Pontormo
Madonna of the Pinks $39.4m, 1999
Raphael
Interchange $18.8m, 1989
Willem de Kooning
Record auction price for a living artist’s work
followed the fashion of their day and probes an artist’s purpose, intentions.
took drawing and painting lessons. and technical ability, asking whether
Today they would sign up for an art the final outcome delivers what the
history course. Art history as an artist has set out to do. Equally, in a
academic subject effectively began in historic display of art, such as an
Germany at the end of the 19th exhibition, the critic should examine
century. It has brought discipline, the validity of the curator’s
rigor, and objectivity to a notoriously interpretation. For contemporary
fuzzy topic. It has rescued many art the critic ought to cut through
reputations and even proved the the lavish rhetoric, which is often
existence of forgotten artists. heaped on it by curators and dealers,
But art history also has a downside. to determine the true merit of what
Works of art are not just historical is being promoted.
documents. Art has the ability to Many reputations and much
engage with individuals and create money ride on the current boom
experiences that can range from tears in contemporary art and there is
to ecstasy. At its worst, art history can a dangerous temptation, fueled
reduce even the greatest works of art by the supremacy of art history,
to a tedious list of facts. There is a to treat every new manifestation
danger that one can become so and star name instantly as historically
obsessed by “history” that everything significant. This is disingenuous
“old” comes to be blindly revered like since, in any field of human
the bones of long dead saints. endeavor, whether what happens
today will have any significance in
ART CRITICISM the longer term depends almost
Good art criticism respects facts and entirely on what happens tomorrow,
history but is principally concerned and that is completely unpredictable
with value judgments. It questions and and unknowable.
Gateway to Art: Kahlo, The Two Fridas
Using Line to Connect and Direct a Viewer’s Attention
In The Two Fridas line plays an important role in from her husband, fellow Mexican artist Diego
connecting areas of the painting and directing Rivera (1886–1957), because it directs us to her
the viewer’s attention. Connections were broken heart. The Mexican Frida holds in her hand
important in the life of the Mexican artist Frida a small picture of Rivera.
Kahlo (1907–1954). The artist’s connections to The vein continues to wrap around and
her family lineage, to her husband, and to her meander throughout the figures. It also tells us
history of physical suffering are all encapsulated about the lifelong pain that Frida endured after
in this work. being badly injured in a traffic accident when she
The line created by the vein that connects was eighteen years old. She had many surgeries,
the two images of Frida (1.1.11) makes reference as symbolized here by the scissor-like surgical
to her lineage (or bloodline) as it winds from the clamp on the left, which almost stops the blood
Frida on the right, in traditional Tehuana (from flow—though drips of her life essence still stain
Tehuantapec, Mexico) clothing, to the Frida the white dress. This red line becomes the
on the left, in white European dress. It refers main element in expressing the story of Frida’s
to her Spanish-Native Mexican and European life. Other lines that contribute to the overall
For the other Kahlo parents and links the two. The vein sometimes composition are the strong crisp outlines of the
Gateway boxes,
disappears behind or inside the clothing, implying figures and the soft irregular lines of the clouds.
see p. 204, p. 532,
and p. 676 a continuous but hidden line. On the European Each gives character to this story of strength in
figure, the vein alludes to Frida’s recent divorce the face of hardship.
50 PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS
The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
1.2.15 Frank Gehry, The American architect Frank Gehry (b. 1929) a sense of movement and life to the structure.
Guggenheim Museum, designed the Guggenheim Museum, located This could make some visitors feel disoriented,
1997, Bilbao, Spain
between a river and a motorway, in Bilbao, but Gehry counters this at critical junctures by
Spain; it was completed in 1997 (1.2.15). Bilbao using strongly geometric form. At the entrance,
was once a center for shipbuilding, and the for instance, the reassurance of geometric form
undulating surfaces of Gehry’s creation suggest encourages even the most apprehensive visitor to
ships and ship construction. Gehry’s design enter the building.
uses contrasts in geometric and organic form. Gehry employs both sculptural relief and
Historically, architectural design has relied on in-the-round forms. The surfaces of the organic
geometric form. Organic forms, by comparison, portion of the building are covered with titanium
are more difficult to visualize and plan in tiles. The subtle changes to the surfaces of this
advance; curved and irregular structures are material resemble an abstract bas-relief. But the
difficult to survey, measure, plumb, and level. entire building is also like a sculpture in the round
But Gehry used computer programs originally that the viewer can stroll around to appreciate its
invented for aerospace design to plan buildings unexpected juts and curves.
that contradict our preconceived ideas about Gehry’s museum has reshaped its location.
architecture as geometric form. Most of the The interior space, designed to meet the changing
walls of the Guggenheim Museum consist of needs of art and artists in the future, can also
irregular, curving, organic forms that rise and be extended or reduced, creating interesting
fall unpredictably. The undulating surfaces give exhibition opportunities. The complex shapes
70PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS
1.2.16 Louise Bourgeois,
Maman, 1999 (cast 2001).
Bronze, stainless steel, and
marble, 29'43⁄8" × 32'91⁄8"
× 38'1". Guggenheim
Museum, Bilbao, Spain
of the building extend out into space like a huge Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010). The Guggenheim’s
boat, emphasizing its relationship to the nearby apparently solid mass is contrasted with the
River Nervión. When it was first constructed, spindly form and open volume of Maman. The
the building stood in stark contrast to the negative space surrounding its legs and body
surrounding urban landscape. It was designed imparts lightness. The subtle variations of
to offer an optimistic vision in what was at that angle in the legs imply movement. The wobbly
time a deteriorating industrial district, and has vulnerability of the spider contrasts with the
done so in the most extraordinary way: inspired massive solidity of the building. Even though
by Gehry’s creation, this part of the city has this spider is made of bronze, the effect is one
been transformed into the vibrant cultural and of lightness. And by suspending below the
commercial area it is today. central body a container of marble spheres
The shimmering titanium tiles of Gehry’s like an egg sac, Bourgeois wants to suggest
building are complemented by a sculpture that both the tenderness and fierce protectiveness
stands beside the museum, Maman (1.2.16; of motherhood.
meaning “Momma” in French), by French artist
The act of changing the understanding and The images link the old and the new in 1.5.14 Ai Weiwei,
perspective of an object, or reworking an Chinese art and culture. Chinese ceramics Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn,
1995. Three black-and-
established concept, disrupts its stability and are symbols of centuries-long innovation and
white photographs,
makes it questionable. ingenuity. Ai himself emphasizes a Chinese each 53 1⁄2 × 42 7⁄8"
Ai Weiwei “look,” with his traditional slippers and a beard
that recalls the appearance of an ancient
In 1995 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (b. 1957) emperor. As an artist, he also symbolizes
created a time-based work that sparked great modern Chinese ingenuity with this action, which
controversy: he was photographed dropping a both challenges and draws attention to the
2,000-year-old Chinese urn (1.5.14). The act of prominence of Chinese tradition.
destruction, and its photographic record, raised a Important artifacts, such as the one that
furor not only because he had smashed an ancient Ai is here seen, shockingly, smashing on the
artifact, but also for his seeming lack of concern. ground, and the ones he painted over, were—and
Yet, through the use of the elements of time and still are—frequently damaged by government-
motion, the artist was actually acknowledging run demolition and construction projects.
both the antiquity and importance of the object. Ai’s seemingly emotionless expression, as he
The three large-scale photographic panels are withdraws any responsibility for preserving
documentation of the passage of time as the artist this urn and lets it fall to the ground, references
committed the irreversible act of destruction. the Chinese government’s similar lack of care
The left panel shows the artist holding the vase and preservation of ancient objects. Through
somewhat carelessly. The second shows the the elements of time and motion, Dropping
vase falling to the ground and the artist’s hands A Han Dynasty Urn sparked a renewed interest For the other
Ai Weiwei Gateway
boldly (or shamelessly) in the air. The third in ancient objects that were being taken for
boxes, see p. 357,
photo captures the vase smashing on the ground granted by the Chinese government and society p. 419, and p. 654
without any reaction on his part. as a whole.