Introduction to Art History (vs3)

Introduction to Art History

The “PAINTING ABOVETHE COUCH”

IN THE TIME BEFORE COUCHES…….

ART EXISTED ONLY TO

A. GLORIFY ELITE RULERS

ART EXISTED ONLY TO

A.

B.GLORIFY ELITE RULERS

MAKE VISUAL RELIGIOUSNARRATIVE

Sad poor persons have couch but withno painting

Until….The Dutch Golden Age !

The Dutch got very Richfrom Trading

A new MIDDLE CLASSEMERGES

With MONEY to spend

$$$$$$$

So…The Average Guy FinallyGets a Painting Above theCouch…or chair…or whatever

Mostly the Dutch had a TASTE

For Portraits, Still-Lifes, andLandscapes

Some ordinary non-richpeople happily posing for thepainter

If You won the Lottery (like the Dutch Middle Class), is this the house YOU would buy ?

When we talk about art on a casual (above the couch) level, mostly we are talking

about TASTE.

Taste as an aesthetic, sociological, economic andanthropological concept refers to cultural patterns of choiceand preference regarding aesthetic judgments.

W hat determines aesthetic judgments…your taste?

Are we born with it?

And why should we even care about things we don’t like ?

Do you like this painting forexample ???

Who’s couch is it going to go over

exactly ???

Edvard Munch, “The Scream”

1893, National Gallery, Oslo Norway.

ART is reflective of the HUMANEXPERIENCE…good andbad…..not just an interior designobject to put above couches!

Edvard Munch, “The Scream”

1893, National Gallery, Oslo Norway.

ART IS NOT JUST AN

INTERIOR DESIGN OBJECT

TO PUT ABOVE COUCHES !!

Edvard Munch, “The Scream”

1893, National Gallery, Oslo Norway.

ART and BEAUTY

Should ALL art be BEAUTIFUL ?

Socialist Realism……pretty as a picture???

What if ART was beautiful

But masking a sinister REALITY !!?

NOT SO PRETTY

Soviet Union , Stalin's regime

(1924-53): 20 million DEAD.

“As long as art is the beauty

parlor of civilization, neither art

nor civilization is secure .”

-John Dewey

ART and BEAUTY

It has MANY purposes….

And certainly beauty is one of

them…

Art should comfort the disturbed

and disturb the comfortable!

ART IS POWERFUL

The reason art can please, is

also because it can

displease…..

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhascarved into the side of a cliff in central Afghanistan. They were intentionally destroyed in 2001by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban governmentdeclared that they were "idols".

ART IS POWERFUL

…. it can alternately challenge

or reinforce the value system

of any given culture.

It is one of many place where

a peoples discovers who they

wish to be….

COUCHES ARE GREAT….

BUT WHAT IS ART HISTORY?

Yes, what exactly, will we learn in anart history course aside from what toput over our couches ???

Image source: http://www.marshall.edu/cofa/art/arthistory/

ART HISTORY is NOT“judgment”

What makes one work of art “better ”

than another is highly subjective.

Which of these do you have a “taste”for ??

Michelangelo, David , 1501-1504

Therefore…JUDGING

….is the job of art criticism, and artConnoisseurship

Image source: http://www.marshall.edu/cofa/art/arthistory/

Judgment

In fact, it might be useful to define arthistory by contrasting it to 2 relatedfields that DO involve JUDGMENT:

• Art Connoisseurship

• Art Criticism

Image source: http://www.marshall.edu/cofa/art/arthistory/

Art Connoisseurship

Estimating the market value of a workof art is the job of the art connoisseur.

“Judging ” The Dollar Amount

Sotheby’s auction, May 3, 2006, where Picasso’s Dora Maar with Cat sold for $95.2 millionArt Knowledge News

Art Criticism

Professional Art criticism involvesevaluation and judgment…in thepublic arena..

….”making and breaking ” careers

Mr. Art Critic, written and directed by Richard Brauer, 2008

But Ultimately you havethe right to your ownJudgment

You should be encouraged to formyour own opinion about what you likeand dislike no matter what the Critic orConnoisseur say.

Art History

It is concerned with what art meant tothe people who made and used itwithin a HISTORICAL CONTEXT.

Biography

To understand CONTEXT...ArtHistorians study the lives of artists?

Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait as an Artist , 1887-88. Oil on canvas, 65 x 50.5 cm. Van GoghMuseum, AmsterdamArtchive

Biography

The Artist ’s biography is ONEcomponent of art history, but it is notalways the most important…there areothers..

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self Portrait , c. 1659-1660

…The Role of theArtist

Prior to the Renaissance, the artist waswas merely thought of as a craftsman

Nanni di Banco, Sculptors at Work , 1416. Orsanmichele, Florence

Role of the Artist

Artists were expected to be skilled,BUT not creative.

“Do as you are instructed”

Image source

Role of the Artist

Works of art were commissioned bypatrons who gave specificinstructions about what theywanted. “Creativity ” and“originality ” were not valued.

Role of the Patron

Often, the work is more about thepatron than it is about the artist whomade it

Jacques Louis David, Napoleon Cro ssing the St. Bernard Pass, 1801

Enrico Scrovegni giving the gift of his chapel toangels, Last Judgment , Arena Chapel, Padua, c.1305

Methodology

How do art historians study works ofart?

Methodology

1. Subject Matter

•

•

Description,

narration

2. Interpretation/Content

•

•

Iconography

cultural analysis

3. Style• formal analysis

Subject Matter

What is the subject matter?

Georgia O’Keefe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. 4, 1930Oil on canvas, 3’ 4” X 2’ 6”National Gallery of Art

Subject Matter

What is the subject matter?

Georgia O’Keefe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. 4, 1930Oil on canvas, 3’ 4” X 2’ 6”National Gallery of Art

Subject Matter

Who or what is represented

Subject Matter

George Washington……in a room

This involves:

Description

Narration

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Description

The visual facts:

How does he appear

How is he standing (pose)

What is he wearing?

What else is in the room?

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Narration

What is happening?

What is he doing?

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Subject Matter leads toINTERPETATION/CONTENT

After we describe and narrate thesubject matter we can make aninterpretation….and find the truthbehind the image…it ’s “meaning ”:

Why is he posed that way?

Why were those particular objectschosen?

What purpose was this portraitmeant to serve?

What was the message?

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

To RECAP:

Subject Matter:The “what ” of the work (who, what,where)

Interpretation/Content:The “why” of the work (meaning,purpose, message)

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Iconography

A big part of Content/Interpretation is

Iconography: the interpretation ofSIGNS and SYMBOLS

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

ICONOGRAPHYExample…Painted portraits of politicalleaders were the “media” of their day

They were supposed to communicatea message about the personrepresented

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

Allan Ramsay, King George III (in coronation robes), 1761-1762National Portrait Gallery

The Clothing

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

The Clothing

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

The Clothing

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

“Stuart painted Washington from life, showinghim standing up, dressed in a black velvet suitwith an outstretched hand held up in anoratorical manner (which could becharacterized as "commanding and stern yetopen and inclusive"). In the backgroundbehind Washington is a row of two Doriccolumns, with another row to the left.Wrapped around and between the columnsare red tasseled drapes.”

The Clothing

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

“Washington's suit is plain and simple, and thesword that he holds on his left side is a dresssword and not a battle sword (symbolizing ademocratic form of government, rather than amonarchy or military dictatorship). In the sky,storm clouds appear on the left while a rainbowappears on the right, signifying the AmericanRevolutionary War giving way to the peace andprosperity of the new United States after the 1783Treaty of Paris. The medallion at the top of thechair shows the red, white, and blue colors of theAmerican flag.”

The Clothing

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796.Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

“On and under the tablecloth -draped table to theleft are two books: Federalist — probably areference to the Federalist Papers — and Journalof Congress — the Congressional Record). Anotherfive books are under the table . . . . The pen andpaper on the table signify the rule of law . . . .”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_portrait

Style

What is style?

Style

Style refers to the visual characteristicsof a work of art

Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon , 1907Museum of Modern Art

Style

Period Style

A style that is typical of a particulartime period

Jacopo da Pontormo, Entombment of Christ , 1525-1528

Parmigianino, Madonna with the Long Neck , 1534-1540

Regional Style

A style that is typical of a particularregion

Jean Hey? or the Master of Moulins, Portrait of Margaret ofAustria, oil on panel, c. 1490

Alesso Baldovinetti, Portrait of a Lady, tempera and oil owood, c. 1465 (National Gallery, London)

Personal Style

An individual artist ’s unique“personal” style

Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night , 1888

Evolution of Style

How style changes over time

Giotto di Bondone, Ognissante Madonna, c. 1310

Unknown Master, Virgin and Child Enthroned with StDominic, St Martin and Two Angels, c. 1290 WebGallery of Art

Evolution of StyleChanging attitudes towards the body

Albrecht Dürer, Fall of Man ( Adam and Eve), 1504

Expulsion of Adam and Eve , Hunterian Psalter, c. 1170

Evolution of StyleComposition and lighting

Caravaggio, Deposition , c. 1600-1604

Jan Vermeer, Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, c.1662

Evolution of StyleConcepts of “realism”

Gustave Courbet, the Stone Breakers, 1849

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Princesse de Broglie ,1851-1853

Evolution of StyleCapturing effects of atmosphere and light

Claude Monet, Boulevard des Capucines, 1873

Jacob Van Ruisdael, View of Haarlem from the Dunes atOverveen , c. 1670

Evolution of StyleRejection of realism

Paul Gauguin, The Yellow Christ , 1889

Ernst Kirchner , Head of a Woman, 1913

Evolution of StyleEvolution towards abstraction

Georges Braque, The Portuguese , 1911

Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase , 1912

Evolution of StyleElimination of subject matter

Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 28, 1912

Constantin Brancusi, Bird in Space , 1924

BEGIN

Europe in the ‘Dark Ages”

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DONATELLO, David , late 1440 –1460. Bronze, 5’ 2 1/4” high. MuseoNazionale del Bargello, Florence.

73

SANDRO BOTTICELLI, Birth of Venus, ca. 1484 –1486. Tempera on canvas, approx. 5’ 9” x 9’ 2”.Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

74

MASACCIO, Holy Trinity , Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy, ca.1424 –1427. Fresco, 21’ 10’ 5/8” x 10’ 4 3/4”.

75

PERUGINO, Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter , Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome,

Italy, 1481 –1483. Fresco, 11’ 5 1/2” x 18’ 8 1/2”.

RAPHAEL, Philosophy ( School of Athens ), Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Palace, Rome, Italy,1509 –1511. Fresco, 19’ x 27’. 76

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LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, Allegory of Law and Grace , ca. 1530. Woodcut, 10 5/8” x 1’ 3/4”. British

Museum, London.

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GIANLORENZO BERNINI, David , 1623. Marble,5’ 7” high. Galleria Borghese, Rome.

79

GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Ecstasy of SaintTeresa , Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria dellaVittoria, Rome, Italy, 1645 – 1652. Marble,

height of group 11’ 6”.

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CARAVAGGIO, Calling of Saint Matthew , ca. 1597 –1601. Oil on canvas, 11’ 1” x 11’ 5”. ContarelliChapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

TITIAN, Venus of Urbino , 1538. Oil on canvas, 3’ 11” x 5’ 5”. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.81

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PETER PAUL RUBENS, Consequences of War , 1638 –1639. Oil on canvas, 6’ 9” x 11’ 3 7/8”. Palazzo

Pitti, Florence..

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JAN VAN EYCK, Man in a Red

Turban , 1433. Oil on wood, 1’ 1 1/8” X10 1/4". National Gallery, London.

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REMBRANDT VAN RIJN, Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp , 1632. Oil on canvas, 5’ 3 3/4” x 7’ 1 1/4”.Mauritshuis, The Hague.

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PIETER CLAESZ, Vanitas Still Life , 1630s. Oil on panel, 1’ 2” x 1’ 11 1/2”. GermanischesNationalmuseum, Nuremberg.

89JEAN-BAPTISTE GREUZE, Village Bride , 1761.

90JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, Oath of the Horatii , 1784.

Henry Fuseli, THE SHEPHERDS DREAM, 1793.

THÉODORE GÉRICAULT, Raft of the Medusa, 1818 – 1819.

“

97JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET, The Gleaners , 1857.

98ÉDOUARD MANET, Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe ( Luncheon on the Grass ), 1863.

99ÉDOUARD MANET, Olympia , 1863.

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THOMAS EAKINS, The Gross

Clinic , 1875.

102JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS, Ophelia.