evolutionˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n,ˈɛvəluːʃ(ə)n/nounnoun: evolution; plural noun: evolutions1.the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.2. the gradual development of something."the forms of written languages undergo constant evolution”

The Evolution of Visual Art In the Modern Era

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/introart.htm

ONLINE TEXTBOOK: © 1995 by Charlotte Jirousek

THE PURPOSES OF ART: why do we make art?In your groups, brainstorm ideas about WHY people make art. Think about different periods of history (Prehistory, Medieval, Renaissance, the Modern era, contemporary art today)

Religious ritual

To commemorate important events

Propaganda & social commentary

Recording history, storytelling

Creating beautyConveying emotions

Gustave Courbet, The Stonebreakers, 1849, Oil on canvas, (Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (destroyed)

Banksy, “Les Miserables”, mural, Jan 2016, London: British graffiti artist Banksy highlighting the alleged use of tear gas on asylum seekers from the ”Jungle" camp in Calais. The QR code links to a video. The mural appeared on a hoarding near the French embassy.

CHANGES IN SUBJECT & CONTENT IN ARTIn your groups, brainstorm ideas about WHAT artists depict (represent) in art. How has this changed over time? Changes in society, politics and inventions have had a major influences – can you think of any examples?

Photography (1839)Colonialism

during the Belle Epoque (1870 – 1914)

Pyschoanalysis (Freud, 1890s)

Hunting scenes

Religious figuresPortraits

Abstract figures

LandscapesSymbols

Mythology

History & leaders

Some examples of influences:

Some examples of subject:

INFLUENCE OF PHOTOGRAPHYRosa Bonheur, Ploughing in the Nivernais, 1849, Oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

INFLUENCE OF COLONIALISM Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, 1907, Oil on canvas, MOMA, New York

INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory, 1931, MOMA, New York Dalí was an avid reader of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories. Dalí's major contribution to the Surrealist movement was what he called the "paranoiac-critical method," a mental exercise of accessing the subconscious to enhance artistic creativity. Dalí would use the method to create a reality from his dreams and subconscious thoughts, thus mentally changing reality to what he wanted it to be and not necessarily what it was. For Dalí, it became a way of life.

THE NOTION OF ART: WHAT MAKES SOMETHING “ART”?WHAT MAKES SOMETHING “BEAUTIFUL”?In your groups, brainstorm ideas about these two questions. Give examples. Also consider the difference between ART and CRAFT.

Culture

Tastes & Fashions

In the 11-12th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, art was defined as "Skill at doing anything as a result of knowledge and practice..."

A set of skills

Creativity

Individual perspective

Expression of an idea or message

Every virtue of life, Unique,The imitation of nuance.

Each veritable owner loves, unconditionally, that image of newness.

Enigmatic, we wonder what it isVirtues and Vices are shown with equal skillOnly a few create itListen to the canvases and you will hear,Under layers of secrets and history and paint,The voices of goddesses and warriors alike,Immortalized and frozen in time.Only their image remains to tease us,Never to reveal the mystery that is art.

What am I?

EVOLUTION

In pairs, use the letters of the word EVOLUTION to write an acrostic poem.