Introduction to Critical Analysis (I) - Week 6 PDF

Introduction to Critical Analysis (I) GSA101A - Week 6 Joelle Salkey (Ms.) Art conservator (paintings) and Museum Professional Email: [email protected] Contact hours: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Monday to Thursday Stacy-Ann Hyde (Ms.) Artist (painter) and Museum Heritage Professio...

Introduction to Critical Analysis (I) GSA101A - Week 6 Joelle Salkey (Ms.) Art conservator (paintings) and Museum Professional Email: [email protected] Contact hours: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Monday to Thursday Stacy-Ann Hyde (Ms.) Artist (painter) and Museum Heritage Professional Email: [email protected] Contact hours: 9:00 pm to 5:00 pm Weekdays Barrington Watson’s The Garden Party, 1976 Context according to Oxford Languages. context ˈkɒntɛkst/ / noun the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood. Characteristics of Context: The information that’s presented to us Used in an argumentative sense Biased/subjective form of education Contextualism from the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy The view that a work of art can only be understood in the context of its historical or cultural circumstance or in the light of another work by the same artist or in a surrounding tradition. The opposed position is isolationism. This is the view that a work of art should be taken into isolation - without context. A stress on pure aesthetic form. For the curious: Roger Fry (1866- 1934) and Clive Bell (1881- 1965) Historical Context Historical contexts in analysis provide a framework through which artwork can be understood based on the period of origin, trends during that period, resources available and the perspective of the author or maker. Historical analysis is dependent on these 6 keys: INFORMATION ORIGIN PERSPECTIVE CONTEXT AUDIENCE MOTIVE Historical Analysis Keys Information: What is stated/explicit? Origin: Where did it come from? Who made it? Perspective: What does it illustrate? What perspective was this created with? Context: When was the source created? What was happening at the time? Audience: Who was the intended audience of the source? Motive: Why was the source made? Francisco De Goya’s Third of May, 1808 Historical Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erUTRRQ56DU Source: The Canvas, Youtube Religious Religious contexts places artwork with a religious framework through which the art must be understood. It typically relies heavily on symbols and iconography to connect the audience and the message. Jan Van Eyck Arnolfini Portrait, 1434 Aka: The Arnolfini Marriage This particular work is jammed packed with religious symbolism and iconography alluding the theorised death of the wife and her appointment in heaven. The candles in the chandelier The oranges on the window sill and the tree just beyond the window The removal of the shoes in the Bedchamber and their placement. The patron saint for childbirth trampling a beast. Stations of the cross around the mirror. Socio-Political or Critical Theory Critical theory, or ‘social critical theory’ is a broad term for a variety of methodologies that attempt to understand artwork by the societal structures and pressures that influenced it. Critical theory includes Marxist theory, feminist theory, psychoanalysis, post-colonialism, and queer theory among others. Marxist Analysis While named after the famous philosopher and economist Karl Marx, the Marxist art methodology more broadly examines art based on the economic and social conditions that informed the artist and the work. Through the Marxist lens, artwork is examined for its depiction and relation to class, mass-production, and society. The Marxist analysis nullifies isolationism as from the Marxist perspective art is always about society and the artist is always a part of the culture. Art is never independent or absolute. Marxism talks about the death of symbolism in art giving rise to the use of allegory - a collection of meanings proving more referential than possessing true value. Due to the capitalist influence art has lost its true meaning and value, a spirituality/ closeness to God. Feminist In the 1970s, during the developing feminist movement, feminist art criticism emerged as a way to examine of both visual representations of women in art and art produced by women. For generations, women have been under-represented in the art world, and the feminist lens on art history has been pivotal in dismantling the underlying assumptions around gender and artistic ability. This approach tries to identify the feminine voice and intent of the art. Who is the viewer? Who is the muse? What is the intent behind the female representation? Francisco De Goya, La Maja, 1797-1800 Post Colonial Investigates the use of imagery, themes within the period of colonialism and post colonial rule. Themes frequently reference identity, nationality and race and ethnicity. Augustino Brunais, Free women of Dominican Republic and a Family from St. Vincent, c, 1700 https://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/barrington-a-retrospective-annex-exh ibition-at-the-bank-of-jamaica/ Barrington Watson Retrospective at Bank of Jamaica, 2012 Barrington Watson’s The Garden Party, 1976 ACTIVITY: Critically Analyse The Garden Party, 1976 Format: Description Analysis (Select a form of contextual analysis) Interpretation Judgement Each group will be given a section of the seminal painting to analyse using the format above. (10 minutes) Detail 1. Group 1 - upper section, Group 2 lower section Detail 2. Group 3 - upper section, Group 4 lower section Detail 3. Group 5 - upper section, Group 6 lower section Detail 4. Group 7 - upper section, Group 8 lower section Detail 5. Group 9 - upper section, Group 10 lower section END