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Part 3 in a three part series on how Form, Theme and Context come together to create meaning in art. Based on the work of Dr. Renee Sandell. Visit the ISB Art History channel (http://vimeo.com/channels/isbarthistorychannel) and my website (http://mountains.brianreverman.com/) for additional resources.
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Discovering ArtPart 3 - Context
How Form, Theme and Context come together to make meaning
Context
• Circumstances surrounding the making of art contribute to its meaning. We need to find out…
• When and where was it made?
• Why did the artist create this art work? For whom, or what reason was it made?
• How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Jacques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Jacques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Paris, France 1787 – right before the French Revolution
Jacques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Commissioned by the Trudaine de Montigny brothers who were active in the revolutionary movement in France. It was made in support of the revolutionary ideas brewing in France at the time.
Jacques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
This was a strong statement, by a prominent artist, on the state of French politics. It was controversial as it challenged the reign of the Royals.
Piet Mondrian, Composition in White, Red, Yellow and Blue, 1918
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Piet Mondrian, Composition in White, Red, Yellow and Blue, 1918
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
The Netherlands, 1918 – immediately following WWI and only 10 years after the development of Cubist painting
Pablo Picasso, Le Guitariste, 1910
This is an example of an early Cubist painting. Picasso sought to portray something as it was and not how it looked. Therefore he broke up the guitar player and tried to show all sides of him simultaneously.
Piet Mondrian, Composition in White, Red, Yellow and Blue, 1918
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
To show that beauty could exist as an abstract idea in plastic form
Piet Mondrian, Composition in White, Red, Yellow and Blue, 1918
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Using geometric forms to express a purely abstract ideal was quite radical for the times.
Chris Burden, Transfixed, 1974
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Chris Burden, Transfixed, 1974
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Venice, California 1974 – during the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War
Chris Burden, Transfixed, 1974
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
To make a statement about the state of art and American culture
Chris Burden, Transfixed, 1974
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Burden’s extreme body art expanded the vocabulary of art forms and was very influential in moving art out of the museum and into the world at large
Follow the link below to hear a short discussion about this painting. Then return here and comment on how each criteria on the left of the slide helps us understand the CONTEXT in which this painting was made.
Roy Lichtenstein, Girl With Ball, 1961
When and where was it made?
For whom, or what reason was it made?
How is it significant for the times and culture in which it was made?
Comment on how it helps you, and why it is necessary, to have a sense of the interaction between Form, Theme and Context to understand a work of art.
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