Art History Review PDF

Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Final Concepts Summary Middle Ages (476 - 14th/15th Century) - Attributes - Lack of perspective - Often golden background - Storytelling over realism - Simplistic - Theocentrism (god centered) Renaissance (14...

Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Final Concepts Summary Middle Ages (476 - 14th/15th Century) - Attributes - Lack of perspective - Often golden background - Storytelling over realism - Simplistic - Theocentrism (god centered) Renaissance (14th/15th - 16th Century) - Attributes - Symmetry - Idealism - Humanism (humanity centered) - Unity - Linear - Balance - Rational - Schools - Italian - Humanism - Idealism - Linear perspective - Flemish - Highly detailed (draping of clothes) - Religious paintings and portraits were more common - German - Gothic influence - Venetian - Vibrant colors - Sensual - Renaissance Painting in Spain - Flemish Influence - Religious symbolism - Portraits - Great interior detail (cloths) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko - Italian Influence - Humanism - Mannerism - Mannerism (16th Century) - Distortion of the human figure - Elegant - Popular among italian art Baroque Era (17th and early 18th Century) - Attributes - Diagonals - Dramatic - Chiaroscuro - Sensual - Curvy lines - Dynamism - Counter Reformation (Late 16th and 17th Century) - An attempt by the church to win back people to Catholicism by showing the trials and hardships followers of God have gone through Enlightenment (18th Century) - Main Ideas - Development of human rights - Apply reason to all aspects of life and progress will result - Rococo Art (1720-1760) - Frivolous art that was seen as shallow by the people of the enlightenment - Used sex appeal and visual beauty to impress the viewer - Neoclassicism (1750-1800) - Response to rococo art led by the ideas of the enlightenment - Rebirth of the ideas of the classical antiquity again - Bring logic and reason back to art - Similar style to renaissance art - Romanticism (1770-1830) - Response to the overly logical neoclassical period - Artist expressed individuality and freedom - Invoke emotion with art Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Origins of Modern Art Salon - Annual art exhibition held by art academies to display art works from artists in and wishing to join the academy - Often judged by the standards of neoclassicism Hierarchy of Genres - History Paintings - Religion - Mythology - History - Portraits - Genre - Landscape - Still Life Edouard Manet - Had many paintings that upset people over a mix of genres, general confusion of their purpose, and nude non-historic women - Challenged the conventions and rules of how art was perceived - Pushed against the idea that the subject is the key feature of the art The Painter of Modern Life - Written by Charles Bandelaire in 1863 - The modern artist depicts the beauty of their time Impressionism (Late 19th and early 20th Century) - Term was originally derogatory. Meant to say the paintings were not actual paintings they were just mere impressions - Capture the world how we perceive it - Invention of photography pushed artists to express themselves differently Cubism (Early 20th Century) - Many artists used african art and masks as inspiration for displaying figures - A new way to portray and perceive the world - Pablo Picasso, George Braque, and Juan Gris were among the founding cubist artists - Fragmented, geometric shapes that often overlapped perspectives Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Surrealism (Mid 20th Century) - Attempt to transfer the world of dreams controlled by the subconscious to art - Acknowledgment of the irrational and instinctive subconscious - Influenced by Sigmund Freud's theories of the unconscious mind Major Spanish Artists Greco Important Info - Trained as an icon painter for the orthodox church - Moved to venice and adopted their vibrant colors and mannerist style - Commonly used a 2 floor structure. An earthly and a heavenly level Paintings - The Disrobing of Christ (1577-79) - The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (1586-88) - Annunciation (1596-1600) - Crucifixion (1596-1600) Ribera Important Info - Spanish Baroque artist - Heavily influenced by Caravaggio - Dramatic art utilizing chiaroscuro - Realism and naturalism - Emotionally intense works - Earthy color palette Paintings - St Andrew (1630-32) - Clubfooted Boy (1642) - Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son (1631) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Murillo Important Info - Spanish Baroque artist that was mainly a genre painter - Softness and realism - Warm color palette Paintings - Boys Eating Grapes and Melon (1645-46) - Boys Playing Dice (1675) - Infant Christ Offering a Drink of Water to St John (1675-1680) - Immaculate Conception (c. 1667-70) Velazquez Important Info - Heavily influenced by the style of Caravaggio but not as dark. Used more earthy tones - Created incredibly complex works that are open for interpretation - Different Times - Seville (1617-1622) - Many genre paintings - Often addressed religious scenes as if they were everyday life - Madrid (1623-1629) - Appointed court painter for Phillip II - First Trip to Italy (1629-1631) - Brush work became softer and adopted a lighter color palette - More focus on the body - Madrid (1631-1648) - Resume responsibilities of being a court painter - Series of portraits of royal servants and those with disabilities - Second Trip to Italy (1649-1651) - Made some nude paintings - Portrait of the pope - Madrid (1651-1660) - Las Meninas - Fable of Arachne Paintings - Old Woman Frying Eggs (1618) - The Triumph of Bacchus (Los Borrachos) (c. 1623) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko - The Count-Duke of Olivares on Horseback (1634) - The Surrender of Breda (Las lanzas) (1634-35) - The Dwarf Francisco Lezcano, Called "El Niño de Vallecas" (1643-45) - Las Meninas (1656-57) - The Fable of Arachne (Las Hilanderas) (c. 1657) Goya Important Info - Became a court painter in 1789 - Was an enlightened thinker but was also obsessed with darkness - Created the Black paintings (1820-1823) Paintings - La maja desnuda (The Nude Maja) (1798-1805) - La maja vestida (The Clothed Maja) (1798-1805) - La familia de Carlos IV (Charles IV and his Family) (1800-01) - El Dos de Mayo de 1808 (The Second of May 1808) (1814) - El Tres de Mayo de 1808 (The Third of May 1808) (1814) - Aquelarre o El Gran Cabrón (Witches' Sabbath or The Great He-Goat) (1820-23) - Saturno devorando a sus hijos (Saturn Devouring His Son) (1819-23) Sorolla Important Info - Painted social paintings early in his career but gave it up for a lighter style - Not an impressionist but worked closely with some and was similar in style - The master of light - Swift, thick brush strokes - Very popular for making paintings by the ocean - Famous portraitist - Created 12 paintings called the “Visions of Spain” that portrayed Spanish folklore ish scenes at the end of his career Paintings - Triste herencia (Sad Inheritance) (1896) - Paseo por la playa (Walk on the Beach) (1909) - Niños en la playa (Boys on the Beach) (1910) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Picasso Important Info - Child prodigy - Adapts and learns very fast - Enrolled in the Madrid academy of arts when he was 16 - While in Madrid he often spent time at the Prado admiring works by Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco - Picasso had his “blue period” from 1901-1904. Uses blue tones to convey sadness. Started after the death of one of his closest friends] - Had a “rose period” following the blue period often portraying circus characters - As he got older he distorted art more and attempted to break the art norms - A founder of cubism Paintings - Family of Saltimbanques (1905) - Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) - Still-Life with Chair Caning (1912) - Glass and Bottle of Suze (1912) - Guernica (1937) Miro Important Info - Spanish surrealist artist - More attached to Catalonia than Dali - Painted things as he saw them - Childlike, simplistic, straight forward yet symbolistic Paintings - Catalan Landscape (The Hunter) (1923-24) - Constellation Awakening at Dawn (1944) - Figures and Dog in front of the Sun (1949) Dali Important Info - Spanish surrealist artist - Had an obsession with hyperrealism in the mid to late 1920s Ai quiz maker: quiz geko - Combines his skill with hyperrealism with the ideas of surrealism to create his art - Very vibrant colors - Late 1930s started to create paintings that can be viewed as different things from different perspectives or focuses Paintings - The Great Masturbator (1929) - The Persistence of Memory (1931) - Atavistic Ruins after the Rain (1934) - Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) (1936) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Dalí, Miró, & Surrealism “We are still living under the reign of logic, but the logical processes of our time apply only to the solution of problems of secondary interest. The absolute rationalism which remains in fashion allows for the consideration of only those facts narrowly relevant to our experience. (…) In the guise of civilization, under the pretext of progress, we have succeeded in dismissing from our minds anything that, rightly or wrongly, could be regarded as superstition or myth; and we have proscribed every way of seeking the truth which does not conform to convention. It would appear that it is by sheer chance that an aspect of intellectual life — and by far the most important in my opinion — about which no one was supposed to be concerned any longer has, recently, been brought back to light. Credit for this must go to Freud. On the evidence of his discoveries a current of opinion is at last developing which will enable the explorer of the human mind to extend his investigations, since he will be empowered to deal with more than merely summary realities. Perhaps the imagination is on the verge of recovering its rights. If the depths of our minds conceal strange forces capable of augmenting or conquering those on the surface, it is in our greatest interest to capture them; first to capture them and later to submit them, should the occasion arise, to the control of reason. (…) It was only fitting that Freud should appear with his critique on the dream. (…) why should I not concede to the dream what I sometimes refuse to reality - that weight of self-assurance which by its own terms is not exposed to my denial? Why should I not expect more of the dream sign than I do of a daily increasing degree of consciousness? Could not the dreams as well be applied to the solution of life's fundamental problems? (…) When the time comes when we can submit the dream to a methodical examination, when by methods yet to be determined we succeed in realizing the dream in its entirety (…), then we can hope that mysteries which are not really mysteries will give way to the great Mystery. I believe in the future resolution of these two states — outwardly so contradictory — which are dream and reality, into a sort of absolute reality, a surreality, so to speak (…). Thus I shall define it once and for all: SURREALISM, noun, masc., Pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express, either verbally or in writing, the true function of thought. Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations. ENCYCL. Philos. Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of association heretofore neglected, in the omnipotence of the dream, and in the disinterested play of thought. It leads to the permanent destruction of all other psychic mechanisms and to its substitution for them in the solution of the principal problems of life.” — André Breton, First Surrealist Manifesto (1924) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Surrealism is influenced by irrationalism and the psychoanalytic theory of Freud. This deals with the unconscious mind as represented through dreams. Combining different visions of the world in one painting (seeing different things in the same painting) Paranoiac-Critical Method: “A surrealist technique developed by Salvador Dalí in the early 1930s; He employed it in the production of paintings and other artworks, especially those that involved optical illusions and other multiple images” Modernism & the Avant-Garde: Picasso, Gris, & Cubism Braque Picasso using strong geometric shapes in the style of cubism Picasso went from analytical cubism to synthetic cubism. Analytic Cubism: “Picasso went from analytical cubism to synthetic cubism.” Synthetic Cubism: “Shifted from deconstruction to construction, assembling objects and forms from simpler shapes.” Picasso & Cubism Pablo Picasso - Child protégé - He challenged himself all the time with new ways of doing art - He absorbed the skills of artists around him - Foreground and background are mixed with figures - Distorted figures - Influence from ancient Egyptian art ---> Multiple perspectives used for the same figure ---> Picasso sick of using linear perspective, time to depict in a different way - Basic geometric shapes - Bringing down the convention that painting has to be “beautiful” Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Pablo Picasso was influenced by African art as well, particularly ‘Songye’ masks—a break away from realism (including proportionalism, consistent use of light and shadow, anatomy, and linear perspective) 19th Century Spanish Painting Claude Monet Spain was backward in politics and culture, as it was being ruled by bad rulers Beautiful art at this time, but still back in time in terms of style. Joaquín Sorolla - His work never evolved - He never felt the need to do anything different - He was repetitive in his style Impressionism (1867–1886) Claude Monet Primary and complementary colors Colors are contextual Painting not about the topic, but how reality is filtered and transformed. Reality (the ‘what’) doesn’t exist, but it’s about how it is perceived Although not originally appreciated for their art, the impressionists are considered the founders of modern art in 1900 along with Manet. The fleeting moment. Manet and the Origins of Modern Art Ai quiz maker: quiz geko The hierarchy of the genres - History/Story painting (‘grand genre’) o Religion o Mythology o History - Portrait o Better way of making money by painting members of the aristocracy/nobility, the church, or the military - Genre painting - Landscape - Still life Manet liked to mix the different genres with cross-references in order to challenge the hierarchy of the genres, challenging the strict categories of painting. He though painting shouldn’t just be an illustration of a narrative, but an expression of the point of view of the artist and how a story can be depicted in a unique way. Manet wanted to destroy the Academy by questioning its authority on what a painting should be. Manet challenged the status quo by adding distracting elements such as extra figures into his paintings. He also depicted perspective differently. It's all about the how instead of the what Reality is redeemed by painting through the transformation of reality by the artists, which encourages the viewer to look at reality in a different way Modern art moves away from focusing on religion and mythology, suggesting that they have no significance for the modern world, and instead focuses on the reality of the world during the 19th century, the here and now. ---> Does this move away from intentional to random painting? ---> A move away from intentional painting to being free from intention. ---> Does this convey the idea that the world is random and has no meaning? Or that the intention is free for interpretation? ---> If all interpretations are correct or valid does that mean that they're all invalid? Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Alla prima: Mixing colors in a palette and applying them directly one after another to capture the dynamism of the world Manet’s philosophy of modern art is about prioritizing the freedom of the artist over the rules and conventions of art for the time. It's not reality that’s relevant but how it is represented. ---> No more objective values to judge art by, move towards subjective art “By 'modernity' I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and immutable” — Charles Baudelaire, The Painter of Modern Life (1863) "Remember that a picture, before being a battle horse, a nude, an anecdote or whatnot, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order” — Maurice Denis (1890) Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) Goya liked to depict reality as it is, without idealism A lot of his art is also very impressionistic The contradiction between France, the Enlightenment ethos and atheism vs. Spain and Christianity Why does Goya portray satanism, to encourage Christianity or the Enlightenment? Goya considered the first modern artist, using art to express himself (forerunner of the expressionism, impressionism, and surrealism), he depicts a nightmare world Los desastres de la guerra (The Disasters of War) (1810-15) Pinturas negras (Black Paintings) (1820-23) Tauromaquia (1816): “A series of 33 engravings by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya , published in 1816. To the series we must add another 11 prints, called unpublished because Ai quiz maker: quiz geko they were not included in the first edition due to small defects, although they are equally well known.” The Romantic Movement, or Romanticism (1770–1830) There is more to art than reason… Art can also aim at the soul of a sensitive viewer, triggering different kinds of feelings… Caspar David Friedrich: Moonrise over the Sea (1822) Because there is more to art than just beauty… The dark worlds of the night, of fantasy and nightmares can also be appealing… John Henry Fuseli: The Nightmare (1781) … as can ruins and sinister trees in foggy landscapes. Caspar David Friedrich: The Abbey in the Oakwood (1808–1810) Contrary to the strict values of Neoclassicism, romantic artists reclaim their individuality and freedom in order to express their own feelings and spiritual beliefs… Caspar David Friedrich: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) Art can also express the values of the state-nation, which embodies the free soul of the people… Eugène Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People (1830) The Age of Reason or the Enlightenment (ca. 1700–1800): The Origins of our Modern World Isaac Newton (1642–1727) Académie and salon Reason against religion Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Reason, morals, and art ---> Rococó (late Baroque) art is perceived as decadent, corrupt and frivolous Rococó (1720–1760) Neoclassicism (1750–1800) Neoclassical art, on the other hand, represented the moral virtues and formal values associated with the Enlightenment and Classical Antiquity. Spanish Baroque Painting Ribera - Was a follower of Caravaggio - He also used common, normal people in his paintings so people could relate to him - No ideal bodies portrayed - Part of the Counter-Reformation - Humanism - Understanding of human disabilities, of tolerance and understanding - Still-life (fruits, botany, pottery) Murillo - Kids in poverty but happy nonetheless enjoying the basics of life - Simplicity - Genre painting - Romanticization of poverty? - Religious genre painting Genre Painting: Painting that depicts humble people from everyday life Leal - Portrayal of death - Emphasizing the importance of a spiritual rather than earthly emphasis on life, with a focus on the afterlife by portraying death Velázquez (1599–1660) - Court painter - Sevilla (ca. 1617–1622) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko o Everyone influenced by Caravaggio in early 17th century o Our of the box religious painting (e.g., Supper at Emmaus, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary) Diego Velázquez: Supper at Emmaus (La mulata) (ca. 1617–20) Diego Velázquez: Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (ca. 1618–20) - Madrid (1623–1629) o Court painting - First trip to Italy (1629–1631) o Softer brushwork, richer color palette o Anatomical study of the body - Madrid (1631–1648) o The painting captures the psychology and character of the character o Political propaganda (demonstrating how respectful Spain is) o Glaze technique adds depth and luminosity because of one layer of paint being added at a time o Not hiding or stressing the disabilities of entertainers in the court, but portraying them with dignity § Portraying everyday people with dignity, elevating them § Taking important figures and giving them a down-to-earth touch Diego Velázquez: Christ Crucified (ca. 1632) - Second trip to Italy (1649–1651) o Portraits - Madrid (1651–1660) o Ambiguous narratives o References to classical antiquity Diego Velázquez: Las Meninas (1656–1657) Diego Velázquez: The Fable of Arachne (Las Hilanderas) (c. 1657) Titian: The Rape of Europa (1562) Baroque Art (1600–ca. 1750) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Protestant Reformation started 1517–1648 Continuities between the Renaissance and Baroque periods - Like the Renaissance, it is also influenced by classical antiquity, mythology and religion, symbolism in art (religious, political) Historical events that shaped the Baroque Era - Counter-Reformation - Absolute monarchy - Scientific Revolution Caravaggio and the origins of Baroque painting (1600) - Chiaroscuro, or tenebrism (extremely contrasted chiaroscuro) - Depicting figures like everyday people allowed people to relate to the scene - Compositions based on dynamism rather than just vertical and horizontal lines Naturalism is the next level from realism Renaissance (general aspects) - Rational - Idealism - Clarity - Unity, simplicity - Calmness, serenity Renaissance (formal aspects) - Neatness, austerity - Linear, draughtsman - Straight lines - Orthogonal lines Baroque (general aspects) - Sensorial, sensual - Realism - Ambiguity - Contrast, complexity - Drama, expression, emotion Baroque (formal aspects) - Decoration, exuberance Ai quiz maker: quiz geko - Color, painterly - Curvy lines - Diagonals, oblique lines Caravaggio had a huge impact on Baroque art throughout Europe The Dutch School - Protestant - Rembrandt The Flemish School - Catholic - Rubens Rubens - His painting reflects the celebration of the dynamism of both the spiritual and material world - A celebration of life and beauty, including of the human body - He was friends with Velazquez Rembrandt - With Protestantism, more somber view of Christianity, reflected in the art Renaissance Painting in Spain European possessions of Charles V, grandson of the Catholic Monarchs, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain There was considerable Flemish influence as well as Italian influence El Greco ---> Less of a focus on realism, moving towards other forms of expression rather than focusing on realism Lots of court painters The Renaissance (1400/1500–1600) Ai quiz maker: quiz geko “Rebirth” ---> Movement from the “theocentrism” of the Middle Ages (ca. 476–1400/1500) to a rediscovery of the classical antiquity of ancient Greece and Rome. The Roman Catholic Church had a monopoly on the world of culture. Rivalry between those independent city-states (Ludovico Sforza of Milan, Federico II Gonzaga of Mantua, Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence, Alfonso I d'Este of Ferrara, Julius II of the Papal States) and between their rulers stimulated secular art patronage. The Church retained nevertheless immense influence because of both its moral and spiritual authority and its earthly wealth and power. “In 14th century Italy, poets and writers Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio set the focus on Classical Antiquity. They considered it a Golden Age, thus giving birth to Humanism. Humanism emphasizes the centrality of Man in all aspects of life, hence paving the way for the rise of the artist as an individual. This implied a rejection of the Middle Ages, considered now the ‘Dark Ages’ because of their theocentrism and backwardness.” Medieval Art was mostly about transmitting a religious message. It had hence a symbolic approach and played little attention to the realistic depiction of the outside world. Figures were sketchy and lacked anatomical accuracy, backgrounds were often plain golden, and proportions, depth or detail played no role in it. Artworks were usually anonymous. Rivalry between independent city-states and between their rulers stimulated secular art patronage. The church retained nevertheless immense influence because of both its moral and spiritual authority and its earthly wealth and power. Patronage in the arts due to more wealth in Italian city-states is what triggered the Renaissance God wasn’t the focus of measuring things, but it was actually human beings. For the ancient Greeks art had to be an ideal recreation of the real world. In its attempt to harmonize classical thought and Christianism, Neoplatonism accounted for the rise of idealism and the search for beauty in the arts, heavily influencing Florentine art. c. 1400 ---> Gutenberg invents the printing press Contrapposto: Depicting a relaxed figure in sculpture to reflect the naturalism of the human figure rather than a rigid form of a divine figure; Shifting of the weight from both legs to just one Ai quiz maker: quiz geko Greek sculpture has its influence with Egyptian sculpture Representing the 3-dimensional world on a 2-dimensional canvas was a major goal of the Renaissance. Linear perspective was represented first in the Renaissance The Egyptian system of representing system didn’t differentiate between a visual system and a written system (i.e., hieroglyphs) Giotto was an important transitional figure from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance by using the linear perspective to add depth to painting, focusing on realism in addition to messaging. Ambroggio Lorenzetti was another figure that used linear perspective Early Netherlandish painters also liked to create perspective One-Point Perspective: Where parallel lines seem to meet at a vanishing point; Only one physical point of view also represents only one person’s specific point of view Underlying rational structure in nature, a hidden logic to nature, is an ethos of the Renaissance. Mannerism: “Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it;” “Mannerism encompasses a variety of approaches influenced by, and reacting to, the harmonious ideals associated with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Vasari, and early Michelangelo. Where High Renaissance art emphasizes proportion, balance, and ideal beauty, Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are asymmetrical or unnaturally elegant. Notable for its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) qualities, this artistic style privileges compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and clarity of earlier Renaissance painting. Mannerism in literature and music is notable for its highly florid style and intellectual sophistication.” The quest for ‘realism,’ from 2D to 3D, the consistent use of light and shadow