art history 101. what is art history?

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A STUDY OF OBJECTS IN THEIR CONTEXTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLDVIEW, THE CULTURE, THE HISTORY OF A PARTICULAR PERIOD, REGION, ARTIST, AND/OR PATRON AN ARDUOUS SURVEY OF OBJECTS, RELIGIOUS VIEWS, ICONOGRAPHY, POLITICAL AGENDAS, AND SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES The Discipline of Art History

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Page 1: Art History 101. What is Art History?

A STUDY OF OBJECTS IN THEIR CONTEXTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLDVIEW, THE

CULTURE, THE HISTORY OF A PARTICULAR PERIOD, REGION, ARTIST, AND/OR PATRON

AN ARDUOUS SURVEY OF OBJECTS, RELIGIOUS VIEWS, ICONOGRAPHY, POLITICAL AGENDAS, AND

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES

The Discipline of Art History

Page 2: Art History 101. What is Art History?

We may only be able to understand the objective of a piece by understanding the

culture in which it was made.

The magic word is CONTEXT.

“Art history takes every object as a symptom of what produced it…In the hands of the art historian, the work seems to pass from opacity to transparency; from silence to speech.”

--Donald Preziosi

Page 3: Art History 101. What is Art History?

The definition of “Art” changes

Until the last 100 years, people commissioned works that would show an identified public a desired identity.

“Art” had an agenda. In many periods, artists were more like construction workers than divinely inspired geniuses.

So, Art History is often the study of patrons’ presented identities.

It doesn’t matter what WE think about past works; we study these works to see how PATRONS wanted to be viewed.

Page 4: Art History 101. What is Art History?

The predominant questions are “How do we get

from one period to another?”

Page 5: Art History 101. What is Art History?

And why do different periods privilege different images and

styles?

Page 6: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Television, Movies, Advertising,, Videos,

Cartoons, etc…

What are we

expected to know

and recognize from

the past in our own

culture today?

And what are we expected to know and

recognize from the past

in our own culture today?

Page 7: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Art History is Interdisciplinary

In order to achieve that goal, Art History studies the relationship a work has to the culture in which it was made by exploring:

Contemporary Historical Events Literature Philosophy

Scientific Discoveries Music

So we study history and culture to understand people’s objects.

Page 8: Art History 101. What is Art History?

ART HISTORY REQUIRES A NEW VOCABULARY SURROUNDING:

CHRONOLOGYSTYLE

SUBJECTFORMAL ANALYSIS

AND BIAS

The Language of Art History

Page 9: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Chronology

When was the work created?

What other facets of culture—music, philosophy, politics, literature, religion, science—influenced the creation of the work? What can the piece tell us about the status of women

in a particular year? What did people believe the role of the gods were in

a particular generation?

Page 10: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Artist and Patron

Who created the work? What is her/his story?◦ Biographical Analysis

Who commissioned/purchased the work? For what agenda?◦ Political Propaganda?◦ To promote a reputation of wealth or power?◦ To sustain life after death?◦ Criticism of respective culture◦ Self-expression

What other facets of culture—music, philosophy, politics, literature, religion, science—influenced the commissioning of the work?

Page 11: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Style

Period Style—those characteristics particular to a specific time and a specific culture◦ Greco-Roman◦ Islamic

Regional—those characteristics particular to a specific provenance◦ Egyptian◦ Mesoamerican

Personal Style—those characteristics particular to an individual artist and his/her techniques MICHELANGELO as different from CARAVAGGIO In 101 we will know fewer artists than in 102

How are these styles determined by the cultures in which they arise?

Page 12: Art History 101. What is Art History?

What stylistic clues help us recognize these regions or periods?

EGYPT: Upright pose, Diorite material, eternally youthful visage, Horus on Neck

ANCIENT GREECE: Marble, Contrapposto, Nudity,

rational proportions

Page 13: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Subject

Iconography—the writing of images VISUAL CONTENT SYMBOLS ATTRIBUTES PERSONIFICATIONS

Helps us “read” the image presented

HINT: Don’t Ignore the Obvious.

Page 14: Art History 101. What is Art History?

What iconography helps us recognize this subject?

SUBJECT: Maesta

ICNOGRAPHY:

Man-Child on her Lap (Jesus)

Throne

Surrounded by Angels

Red and Blue Robes

Mantle

Halo

Inscription below (but most people would have been illiterate)

Page 15: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Formal Analysis

These elements will often help us understand why we react to a particular piece the way we do

CompositionMedium/TechniqueLine, Color, TextureMass, VolumePerspective

Linear, Atmospheric Perspective and ForeshorteningProportion/Disproportion

Hierarchy of Scale

Page 16: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Bias

How we interpret meaning is directly influenced by how we identify ourselves and what we (unconsciously) assume about others◦ Gender identity◦ Age◦ Ethnicity◦ Socio-Economic Class◦ Education◦ Religious Creed◦ Sexual Orientation

Being aware of our biases (we all have many), we can be more informed about what we see

REMEMBER, bias is neither good nor bad; it just is.

Page 17: Art History 101. What is Art History?

Te Pehi Kupe, Self Portrait , 1826

John Sylvester, Portrait of Te Pehi Kupe, 1826

Which is the “correct” portrait?

It depends on what we privilege--self-identification or « naturalism. »

Page 18: Art History 101. What is Art History?

IN SUMMARY

Art History is an uncovering of historical changes as seen in works of art

Art History is interdisciplinary

We are going to use the tools of: Chronology Artist and Patron Style Iconography Formal Analysis

And we are going to be as conscious as we can of our biases

Page 19: Art History 101. What is Art History?

A STUDY OF OBJECTS IN THEIR CONTEXTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLDVIEW, THE

CULTURE, THE HISTORY OF A PARTICULAR PERIOD, REGION, ARTIST, AND/OR PATRON

AN ARDUOUS SURVEY OF OBJECTS, RELIGIOUS VIEWS, ICONOGRAPHY, POLITICAL AGENDAS, AND

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES

The Discipline of Art History