1、An Overview ofArt HistoryA look at major trends and schools of art in Western CultureCompiled by Prof.John C.R.SilbertFor use in the HUMA 1010 course,RMUPlease Note:The following slide presentation and the visuals that accompany it are intended for the sole educational purposes of HUMA 1010 academic
2、 study.As such,the material contained herein is offered under the rubric of the fair use clause of U.S.copyright law.Any other uses for this material are prohibited without the permission of the instructor and/or additional inquiry into copyrights that may be held by outside parties.-Prof.John C.R.S
3、ilbertHUMA 1010,RMUAll Visual Art is ImitationnAristotles word for imitation is“mimesis”;what the actor sought to do;to reveal the truth of human beings.nArt as Imitation does this in two essential ways:Classical Art:Art as LikenessTemple of Artemis in EphesusSarcophagus of woman and dog;Late Roman
4、Roman tile portraitGrecian UrnClassical Art-quick facts:nClassical art is noted for its strong sense of form,proportion and balance.nMuch of the art and architecture served the needs of the state.nClassical art at first sought to idealize the human form;reaching for perfection(as the gods/goddesses
5、were perfect).Note the sculpture on p.147 in TABH.nMuch of the art of the Greek period was attributed to Phidias,a painter,sculptor and architect greatly admired in the 5th cy B.C.E.nIn the late 4th cy B.C.E.,the emphasis shifted towards realism;with less depictions of idealized forms replaced by mo
6、re life-like human qualities.Note the sculpture on p.149 in TABH.nRoman Art often depicted less serene,more dynamic forms that appealed to human passions.Euclids“Golden Section”nThis is a mathematical calculation of balance that states the most pleasing relationship between two connecting parts is s
7、uch that the smaller is to the larger as the larger is to the sum of the two.nIt is expressed mathematically as a ratio of 1:1.68.nThe golden section finds its way into architecture and painting in the classical and subsequent art periods.nLeonardo da Vinci was so impressed by this principle that he
8、 called it the“Divine Proportion.”The Parthenon,Acropolis,GreeceEuclids Golden Section in ArchitectureSlide reference from http:/ccins.camosun.bc.ca/jbritton/goldslide/jbgoldslide.htmThe Golden Section:the smaller is to the larger as the larger is to the sum of the two-BC is to AB as AB is to AC.ABC
9、Leonardos“Annunciation of the Virgin”nDivide this painting into a square on the left and another on the right.(If it is a root-5 rectangle,these lines mark out two golden-section rectangles as the parts remaining after a square has been removed).nAlso mark in the lines across the picture which are 0
10、618 of the way up and 0618 of the way down it.nAlso mark in the vertical lines which are 0618 of the way along from both ends.You will see that these lines mark out significant parts of the picture or go through important objects.nYou can then try marking lines that divide these parts into their gol
11、den sections too.Reference from-http:/www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html#daVinciByzantine ArtBust of Emperor ConstantineIcon of Madonna and ChildByzantine and Medieval ArtnFor nearly a 1000 years,the art world came under the influence of the Christian church.(5th cy C.E.to
12、 15th cy C.E.).nBeginning with Emperor Constantines conversion to Christianity,the church began a strong cultural mandate in Western culture.nThe goal of art was to remind people of Jesus Christ,the saints and apostles and the story contained in Holy Scriptures.nDepictions of Christ showed his wisdo
13、m and depth(a more adult-like face even when showing him as a child.)nThe Pagan world of classical art was frowned upon.Medieval ArtSt.Peter with KeysCathedral CarvingPoitiers,FranceDetail of stained glass;From the cathedral at Chartres,FranceMedieval ArtGargoyle;York Minster CathedralThe Nave of Yo
14、rk MinsterThe Renaissance“Mona Lisa”(aka,La Gioconda)wood panelLeonardo da Vinci;1503-1506“Renaissance”means“rebirth.”This period was known for its flowering in the arts,music and literature.Increasing emphasis was placed on essential human qualities and on freedom and individuality.The three great
15、art figures of this period are Leonardo da Vinci,Michelangelo,and Raphael.“The Last Supper,”1498 fresco Leonardo da Vinci;Painted in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie,MilanMichelangelo“David,”St.Peters,Rome“The Pieta,”St.Peters RomeDetails of panels from Michelangelos painting of the Sistine C
16、hapel showing the Creation of Adam(top)and Eve(right).Raphael Sanzio“School of Athens,”1510Rembrandt van Rijn“The Jewish Bride,”1667“The Return of the Prodigal,”1669The greatest of“The Dutch Masters,”Rembrandt perfected art as realism and the use of chiaroscura.Goya“The Shootings of May Third,”1814“
17、The Puppet,”1791Goya represents an early turning in art from realism(as likeness),to art as alteration.Many of his works were expressive of an inner vision and commentary about the times in which he lived.The Advent of Photography and the end of the dominance of realismAbove:31st PA Regiment Soldier
18、s Family visits on the battlefield(1861-65);Upper Right:Abraham Lincoln c.1860;Lower Right:Union Dead at Gettysburg,July 1863Impressionism“The Waitress,”1877Eduard Manet“Madame Monet and her Son,”1875Claude MonetSought to focus on the way light is perceived by the human eye.This period inaugurates a
19、rt as alteration.Imitation in art is within the painter.“The Childs Bath,”1893Mary CassattPost-ImpressionismVincent Van Gogh“Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear,”1889“Fifteen Sunflowers in a Vase,”1888 Pointilism“Le Pont de Courbevoie,”1886-1887,by Georges SeuratThe 1913 69th Regiment Armory Exhibitionn
20、Named for the building in New York City where this art exhibition took place.nBrought to the U.S.many of the new modern artists who were launching into art as alteration with boldness and intensity.nThis art exhibition found few admirers at the time due to its radical departures from traditional pai
21、nting.nUnlike Van Gogh(and others in Post-impressionist alteration)who began with the natural world and painted it as they saw it,alteration for these modern artists sought to impose something new on the world,something inside themselves.Abstractionism“Composition VIII,”1923,Vasiliy Kandinsky“Areare
22、a”(Joyousness),1892,by Paul GauguinCubism“Les Demoiselles dAvignon,”1902,By Pablo Picasso“Guitar and Violin,”c.1912By Pablo Picasso“Guernica,”1937;By Pablo Picasso“Bottle and Fishes,”1910;By Georges BraqueSurrealism“The Persistence of Memory,”1931 By Salvador DaliA style of painting that has recogni
23、zable figures and shapes but these things are related to each other as objects in dreamlike state.“The Last Supper,”1955,By Salvador DaliGeorgia OKeefe“Series 1,Number 8,”1919“Iris,”1929“Red and Orange Hills,”1938-1939Modern Realism“Nighthawks,”1942,By Edward Hopper“Cape Cod Afternoon,”1936(Carnegie
24、 Museum of Art)“A Woman in the Sun,”1961,The Whitney“Into Bondage,”1936,Aaron Douglas“Aspects of Negro Life:From Slavery through Reconstruction,”1934“Ugly Americans,”by Duane HansonAbstract Expressionism“Greyed Rainbow,”1953,By Jackson PollockStudy for“Woman Number 1,”1952,By Willem de KooningPop Ar
25、t“Beethoven,”1987,By Andy Warhol“Campbells Soup 1,”1968,By Andy Warhol“Elvis,”1964“Soft Toilet,”1966By Claes Oldenburg“Knife Ship II,”1986,By Claes OldenburgMuseum of Contemporary Art,Los Angeles“Flying Pins,”2000,By Claes Oldenburg;Eindhoven,The NetherlandsAndrew Wyeth Prof.Silberts favorite artist
26、“Spindrift,”1950Denounced by some art critiques as a mere“copier”derogatory even to a realist Wyeth comes from a long line of artists(his son Jamie)and illustrators(his father,N.C.).Wyeth once spoke of his art as radically abstract.“Christinas World,”1948(Maine was one of two places of inspiration t
27、o him.).“Braids”(Helga),1979Wyeth divides his time between Chadds Ford,PA and Maine.Portrait of President J.F.Kennedy,by Jamie Wyeth,c.1967An illustration for“Treasure Island”by N.C.Wyeth,1911“Wind from the Sea,”1948To the Left:“Falling Water,”built for the private use of the Kaufmann family in Ohio
28、pyle,PA.Modern ArchitectureFrank Lloyd Wright,one of the three major architects mentioned in TABH sought to bring balance between form(art),function(use)and the environment.He pushed the notion that“form follows function;”an idea that the needs of a buildings use come first before any artifice(form)
29、should be applied.Buildings should blend with the environment and not overwhelm it.Where necessary,a building should shield the buildings user from harsh and unattractive outside influences.Frank Lloyd WrightThe Guggenheim Museum,New YorkBuilt with thick walls to shut out urban noise and suffused wi
30、th indirect lighting,Wright sought to create a“quiet oasis”for the viewing of other works of human creativity(modern art).Frank O.GehryThe Guggenheim Museum;Bilbao,Spain,1997For Gehry,form is paramount to his architectural vision;a vision that is uniquely his.There is nothing“classical”about this st
31、ructure and unlike Johnson he pays no homage to earlier forms.His architectural is innovative and controversial.Philip JohnsonPPG Place;Pittsburgh,PABell Tower,Crystal Cathedral;Garden Grove,CAJohnson was inspired by Gothic forms(late medieval church architecture)and re-invigorated them into new striking building designs.Wedding at the Crystal Cathedral“American Gothic,”1930By Grant WoodAs TABH says,“The world of art belongs to you.”
