history of art
TRANSCRIPT
GREEK ART
Known as the ancestors of Western civilization (Greeks)
Thought of the world in dualistic terms: fate vs. free will, order vs. chaos, reason vs. irrationality.
The Classical Age
The Greeks were attacked by the Persians (Darius and Xerxes).
Extends from the end of Persian wars to the death of Alexander the Great.
Characterized by visual harmony and heightened naturalism in human form.
“Kritios Boy”
Calculated assymetry, standing at ease
Polished marble, sensuousness, indirect gaze
Representation of movement (hallmark)
“Spear Bearer” - Polykleitos
Harmony and beauty based on proportion
Contemplation of harmonious proportions is a contemplation of virtue.
“Aphrodite” - Praxiteles
Viewer's role changed, became more complex and invited physical and emotional engagement instead of merely respect.
Portraiture emerged/ individual likeness.
The Hellenistic Period extended from the death of Alexander the Great until Roman rule.
ROMAN ART
Drew heavily on Greek art. Featured “syncreticism”, an art that brings
together diverse elements to produce something new with a powerful message-bearing potential.
Greek sculptures became symbols of wealth and status.
Gave rise to “historical relief”, which represented actual events.
Portrait sculptures were in the veristic style.
Made of stone and represented men at an advanced age with the distinguishing marks played up.
Painted portraits were attached the faces of embalmed mummies.
Wooden panels done in the encaustic technique.
Wall Paintings
Paint and stucco were used to imitate expensive colored marble paneling.
This technique is called “incrustation”.
Relief sculpture was found in marble sarcophagi.
Biographical scenes and Greek mythology were popular subjects.
“Horror Vacuii”
RENAISSANCE
Interested in reviving the classical approach to art.
New emphasis on glorifying the human figure. Artists were considered celebrities and
geniuses, even divine.
BAROQUE
A style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance and grandeur.
Dynamic movement and energy in human forms. Came from the word “barroco” which means contorted
or grotesque. Dramatic lighting and sweeping emotions.
ROCOCO
Preference for gayer, lighter and more decorative effects in sculpture and arts.
Statues were created as pleasant ornaments.
Diversion from real life.
NEOCLASSICISM
Deliberate return to classical subject matter and style.
Focused on progress and improvement of life through science and knowledge.
Desire to control nature through science. Rational and emotional survived side by
side in art. Aggressively rejected Rococo art.
ROMANTICISM
- The enlightenment seems to have failed.
- Marked by social turmoil and poverty.
- “Cult of the Invidual” (in art)
- Not really a style but an attitude to follow one's genius.
Realism and Impressionism
Realism depicted contemporary or modern life which was unembellished and unidealized.
Subjet matter included peasant life and urban poor.
Impressionism was characterized by bold brushstrokes and strong colors. The sketchiness of the works reflects the impermanence of a changing contemporary world.
“The Stone Breakers” - Gustave Courbet
Courbet wanted to create an art of the people, not the academy. For Courbet, contemporary social conditions were valid subjects for painting.
“Impression, Sunrise” - Claude Monet
Impressionism has a sketchy unfinished look to express the feeling of the moment.
SYMBOLISM AND ART NOVEAU
- Coincides with the rise of psychology, which influenced key artists.
- Decadenced and focused on personal aesthetic.
ABSTRACT/MODERNIST
Fauvism was the first major style of the 20th century. Described as an “orgy of pure colors/wild beasts”.
“Woman With a Hat” - Henri Matisse
Cubism presented a new of thinking about the purpose of art and the language of painting. It aimed to present a new way of seeing.
“The Weeping Woman” - Pablo Picasso
What is art and how does art function?
– Marcel Duchamp
“Nude Descending a Staircase” - Marcel Duchamp
The Fountain by Marcel Duchamp
Dadaism
“Logic and reason only led to war”.
The movement was committed to challenging the status quo in politics as well in culture.
Surrealism
Surrealism seeked to “express the true functioning of thought in the absence of control exerted by reason.”
“Dreams are road to the unconscious.” (Sigmund Freud)