Final Exam Materials Fall 2024-2025 PDF

School of Arts and Sciences Fine Arts and Design Department (FAD) **Fine Arts** ARTS 215-- History of Arts Fall 2024-2025 **Materials** **Jean-Honoré Fragonard, *The Swing* (French: *L\'escarpolette*), 1767** The painting shows a young man hiding in the bushes, secretly wa...

School of Arts and Sciences Fine Arts and Design Department (FAD) **Fine Arts** ARTS 215-- History of Arts Fall 2024-2025 **Materials** **Jean-Honoré Fragonard, *The Swing* (French: *L\'escarpolette*), 1767** The painting shows a young man hiding in the bushes, secretly watching a woman on a swing. Her elderly husband, who is almost hidden in the shadows, is pushing her on the swing and doesn't know about the young man. As the woman swings high, she playfully lets the young man peek under her dress. At the same time, she flicks her shoe toward a statue of Cupid and turns her back to two small angel-like figures near her husband. - In France, a style called \"True Style,\" later known as Neoclassicism, became a reaction to the light and playful Rococo style. - Neoclassicism was inspired by French Baroque, which already had a strong connection to ancient Roman and Greek art. - This style was embraced by leaders of the French Revolution because it symbolized strength and order. - Neoclassical art focused on heroic subjects, clear and simple forms, and a feeling of stability and solidity.  This painting was created on the orders of King Louis XIV to inspire moral values in France. 1. It shows a story from ancient Rome about honor and self-sacrifice. 2. The characters are dressed in Roman-style clothing. 3. The scene takes place in a building with Roman-style architecture. 4. Horatius, the father, is holding up three swords for his sons to take. 5. The composition is arranged with clear, straight lines and balanced spaces. 6. The soldiers' movements are strong and dramatic. 7. On the right, the women and a child are shown collapsing in soft, flowing shapes. 8. The group includes Horatii's sister, adding an emotional element to the scene. Gericault was very interested in understanding human psychology, which can be seen in his paintings of people with mental illnesses from 1822 to 1823. He showed their emotional struggles through their expressions and body language. In one painting, Gericault used loose brushstrokes to create the texture of a woman's face, highlighting her features with light. The frills of her cap frame her face, drawing attention to her expression. The painting has flowing shapes, like the light-brown curve below her collar, which mirrors the more defined curves around her mouth. The red tones near her eyes and mouth are repeated in the collar, while the white of her cap matches the small white triangle of her undergarment. This thoughtful use of light, color, and brushstrokes adds depth and emotion to the work. The 19th century was a time of revolutions and new ideas about human rights, leading to conflicts between social classes. - Thinkers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote important works supporting workers\' rights. - Newspapers and magazines became popular, sharing scientific discoveries, cartoons, and jokes. Inventions like the telegraph (1837) and telephone (1876) made it much faster to share news. - Alongside these changes, the art world also evolved socially and economically, building on changes from the previous century. - Realist art became popular during this time, focusing on directly observing society, nature, and addressing political and social issues with honesty and sometimes humor. This painting is an allegory that represents seven years of Courbet\'s life as an artist (1848-1855). - The period starts with the February Revolution of 1848. - The artwork shows Courbet's view of society and his connection to painting. - It captures both the good and bad aspects of society. - The characters in the painting are mostly ordinary people, like farmers, workers, an old soldier with a begging bag, a Jewish person, a peddler, a strongman from a fair, and a woman lying on the ground. - On the floor, there are various objects, such as a dagger, a guitar, and a feathered hat, symbolizing different elements of life and art. -  A printing method using a smooth stone or metal plate. - Invented in 1796 by Alois Senefelder, a Bavarian author, to cheaply publish theater works. - The process involved drawing an image with an oily substance on the stone or plate. Ink was then applied, and the image was transferred onto paper.  **Architecture in the 19th Century**: - Architects were slow to use new materials like iron and steel, even though they had been developed. - Structures like the Crystal Palace and the Eiffel Tower were built as temporary projects.  **Skyscraper Origins**: - By the late 19th century, there was a need for new construction methods to save space, leading to the creation of skyscrapers. Louis Sullivan was a key figure in this development. The **Impressionist style** started in Paris in the 1860s and lasted into the early 1900s. It\'s a way of painting that uses short brushstrokes and bright colors placed next to each other to show how light affects objects. This style also influenced literature, focusing on mood and feelings, and music, where harmony and rhythm create moods. - **Impressionist painters** often painted scenes of everyday life, like leisure, entertainment, landscapes, and city scenes. They were more influenced by Japanese art and photography than by politics. **Famous Impressionist painters** in France include: 1. **Édouard Manet** - Known for *His Bar at the Folies-Bergère*. 2. **Pierre-Auguste Renoir** - Famous for *Renoir's Moulin de la Galette*. 3. **Edgar Degas** - Known for *Dancer with a Bouquet Bowing*. 4. **Claude Monet** - Famous for works like *Impression, Sunrise*, *Terrace at Sainte-Adresse*, *Bassin des Nymphae's*, and *Rouen Cathedral West Façade Sunlight*. In *His Bar at the Folies-Bergère*, Manet uses **Impressionist techniques** with colors, light, and brushwork. He uses a **mirror** in the background to show both the barmaid and her customer, creating a sense of space in the painting. **Types of Light**: 1. The **bright orange** in the glass bowl is the strongest color in the painting. 2. **White paint** creates a sparkling light, while smoke from the audience partly hides parts of the scene. This shows how industrial pollution affected light, color, and form during that time. 3. The **chandeliers** have blurred edges, giving the feeling of movement. In the mirror, the figures are blurred, showing that people in the audience are moving around. **Silhouettes**, which are sharp and clear outlines of people, are another key feature of the Impressionist style. In this painting, the outline around the barmaid's neck is a clear example. **French Sculpture** **Auguste Rodin (1892-97)**:\ Rodin\'s plaster version of *Balzac* shows his interest in capturing the mental and emotional energy of the subject, not just the physical form. The figure of the novelist, Balzac, appears tall and ghostly, wrapped in a flowing white robe. **Post-Impressionism**:\ Post-Impressionism was a movement that followed Impressionism in the late 19th century. Artists took inspiration from Impressionism, continuing to use **bright colors** and **visible brushstrokes**. However, they began to emphasize **geometric forms**, used **unnatural colors**, and explored **unusual viewpoints**. **Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec**:\ Toulouse-Lautrec was influenced by **Degas** and is best known for his artwork depicting **Parisian nightlife**. He focused on places like dance halls, nightclubs, cafes, and bordellos. He was inspired by **Japanese prints**, using strong **silhouettes** and textured areas in his work. His **lithograph posters** were designed not only for artistic expression but also for advertising purposes, similar to the print techniques used by Realists for social and political messages.  In this artwork, the artist\'s presence is shown through the **furniture** and **clothing**, not just the figure itself. The only image of a person is the **self-portrait** on the wall. There are two chairs, two doors, two bottles on the table, a double window, and a single mirror, creating a sense of symmetry and balance. This piece can be seen as a **psychological self-portrait**, reflecting the artist\'s attempt to form meaningful relationships. The **tension** in the scene is heightened by the **colors**, especially the **red coverlet**, which is the only pure color in the painting. - **Realism** brought a new focus on **social issues** into art. - **Impressionism** made both artists and viewers aware of the **emotional power** of painting techniques. - **Post-Impressionism** explored how **brushstrokes** could be used to create and shape images. - **Symbolism** continued the Romantic tradition, giving a visual form to **emotions** and **states of mind**. Seurat filled his artwork with **solid, iconic shapes** like human figures, animals, and trees, all appearing **frozen in time**. The **motion** in his works was created through **color contrasts**, **silhouettes**, and **repetition**. He was known as a **Neo-Impressionist** and **Pointillist**, meaning he built up colors using tiny dots of pure color. Seurat called his method **divisionism**, which was different from Cezanne\'s use of outlines. His divisionism was based on two ideas: 1. **Placing colors next to each other makes each color appear more intense.** 2. **When you look at colors from a distance (or with your eyes closed), they blend together to form a new combined color.** Seurat\'s **attention to detail** is shown through the many **studies** he made before finalizing his works. For example, the **little monkey** was a subject for several of his studies.