We look at the waning influence of the church and the aristocracy in Europe and the way that the decadence of the old order gives way to reason and democracy throughout the 18th Century.
We look at the rapid spread of American culture, the artists who begin to use it as inspiration, and the wider shift from existentialism to a post-modern sensibility.
PNU – CAD, Course of English for Art and Design (ARH 101) - Dr.docxLeilaniPoolsy
PNU – CAD, Course of English for Art and Design (ARH 101) - Dr. Serena Autiero
Page 1 of 4
Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University
College of Fine Arts and Design - Art History Department
Course of English for Art and Design (ARH 101)
Instructor: Dr. Serena Autiero
Reading 1 for Final Paper
ART THROUGH THE AGES
1. The Beginnings of Art
Art history, which begins around 30,000 B.C. with the earliest known cave paintings,
predates writing by about 26,500 years! That makes art history even older than history,
which begins with the birth of script around 3500 B.C. Along with archaeology, art
history is one of our primary windows into prehistory (everything before 3500 B.C.).
Cave paintings, prehistoric sculpture, and architecture together paint a vivid — although
incomplete — picture of Stone Age and Bronze Age life. Without art history, we would
know a lot less about our early ancestors.
With the beginning of history with the invention of script around 3500 B.C. the need for
art is still felt by humanity. And studying that art is still very important to understand the
past, since history is the diary of the past; this means that ancient peoples wrote about
themselves, so that we know their own interpretation of facts, not things as they were. Art
history is instead the mirror of the past. It shows us who we were, instead of telling us, as
history does. History is the study of wars and conquests, mass migrations, and political
and social experiments. Art history is a portrait of man’s inner life: his aspirations and
inspirations, his hopes and fears, his spirituality and sense of self.
2. The Great Ancient Civilizations
If we know who we were 10,000 years ago, we have a better sense of who we are today.
Even studying a few Ancient Greek vases can reveal a lot about modern society — if you
know how to look at and read the vases. Many Greek vases show us what ancient Greek
theater looked like; modern theater and cinema are the direct descendants of Greek
theater. Greek vases depict early musical instruments, dancers dancing, and athletes
competing in the ancient Olympics, the forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. Some
vases show us the role of women and men: Women carry vases called hydrias; men paint
those vases. Ancient art teaches us about past religions (which still affect our modern
religions) and the horrors of ancient war craft. Rameses II’s monument celebrating his
battle against the Hittites and Trajan’s Column, which depicts the Emperor Trajan’s
conquest of Dacia (modern day Romania), are enduring eyewitness accounts of ancient
battles that shaped nations and determined the languages we speak today. Art isn’t just
limited to paintings and sculptures. Architecture, another form of art, reveals the way
men and women responded to and survived in their environment, as well as how they
defined and defended themselves.
PNU – CAD, Course of English for Art and Design (ARH 101.
The first world war shatters the idea that technology would lead to human progress and the end of history. Art becomes disillusioned and strives to reconcile this new world environment.
The Rise of Modernism, Part III: The Fracture of Space and TimeGeoffrey Krawczyk
Artists continue their experiments in visual perception, using the picture plane as their laboratory. The advance of technology offers a promise of a progressive utopia but it will soon become clear that there is also a dark side to the beauty of the machine.
The Rise of Modernism, Part II: A New Way of SeeingGeoffrey Krawczyk
The second half of the 19th Century sees an explosion in technological progress. As science devises ways to capture the world, artists begin to examine their own perceptions. 'Art for Art's Sake' becomes the rallying cry for artists who were now free to experiment as they saw fit.
We look at the Church's response to the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation. Art and culture were employed to arouse the faithful in a physical, visceral way. The addition of drama and tension affected both Catholic and Protestant art.
Between the years 1400-1500, the Italian Renaissance kicks into high gear. Brunelleschi's genius sets the stage for architectural wonders and artistic realism and artists thrive under the patronage of wealthy merchants.
Following the first inklings of a re-birth of classical style in the Proto-Renaissance, the movement begins to pick up speed in the 14th and 15th centuries. Artists centered in the powerful city of Florence begin to radically change the course of Western art and set the stage for the later developments of Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael.
A look at the art and culture of the early medieval period, including the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of the Byzantine, and the controversy of iconoclasm.
We look at the emergence of the Young British Artists of the early to mid 90s and their influence on the art world of the time. We discuss the way in which celebrity and art are intertwined.
We look at the use of appropriation as a working process and its importance to contemporary art. We discuss the nature of the original and the philosophical questions that arise from the use of others' imagery and ideas.
We chronicle the explosion of the art market in 1980s New York, encompassing Neo-Expressionism and the East Village Scene. We also look at how the market influenced attitudes about art at the time.
The Indian economy is classified into different sectors to simplify the analysis and understanding of economic activities. For Class 10, it's essential to grasp the sectors of the Indian economy, understand their characteristics, and recognize their importance. This guide will provide detailed notes on the Sectors of the Indian Economy Class 10, using specific long-tail keywords to enhance comprehension.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
The Art Pastor's Guide to Sabbath | Steve ThomasonSteve Thomason
What is the purpose of the Sabbath Law in the Torah. It is interesting to compare how the context of the law shifts from Exodus to Deuteronomy. Who gets to rest, and why?
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
This is a presentation by Dada Robert in a Your Skill Boost masterclass organised by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan (EFSS) on Saturday, the 25th and Sunday, the 26th of May 2024.
He discussed the concept of quality improvement, emphasizing its applicability to various aspects of life, including personal, project, and program improvements. He defined quality as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to achieve the best possible results and discussed the concept of the "gap" between what we know and what we do, and how this gap represents the areas we need to improve. He explained the scientific approach to quality improvement, which involves systematic performance analysis, testing and learning, and implementing change ideas. He also highlighted the importance of client focus and a team approach to quality improvement.
Students, digital devices and success - Andreas Schleicher - 27 May 2024..pptxEduSkills OECD
Andreas Schleicher presents at the OECD webinar ‘Digital devices in schools: detrimental distraction or secret to success?’ on 27 May 2024. The presentation was based on findings from PISA 2022 results and the webinar helped launch the PISA in Focus ‘Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction’ https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/managing-screen-time_7c225af4-en and the OECD Education Policy Perspective ‘Students, digital devices and success’ can be found here - https://oe.cd/il/5yV
2. The Protestant Reformation
At this point in history there is only one church in the West -- the Catholic Church --
under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Church had been for some time a
notoriously corrupt institution plagued by internal power struggles.
Martin Luther began the Reformation in 1517 by posting his "95 Theses" on the door
of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
At first, the Church ignored Martin Luther, thinking that he would just go away. When
that didn't work, they excommunicated him. Luther's ideas quickly spread throughout
Europe. The Church's response to the threat from Luther and others during this
period is called the Counter-Reformation.
In 1545 the Church called the Council of Trent to deal with the issues raised by Luther.
Luther's Reformation is the first real challenge to the Church's authority in Europe and
represents the end of its grip on power.
3. The Baroque
Baroque art is the style of the late 1500s and 1600s. The important thing to keep in
mind now is that the Baroque style in Italy is the direct result of the Counter-
Reformation. The Church needs a powerful style of art to use in the fight against
Martin Luther.
Caravaggio is probably the quintessential Baroque artist. His works embody all of the
aspects important to the power of images to affect emotion.
Drama: usually, there is a very dark background with little to no detail. The figures are
lit dramatically, as if from a spotlight, to heighten the dramatic tension.
Space: one of the main characteristics of Baroque art is the breakdown of the barrier
between our space and the space of the painting, so we feel like we're really part of it.
Realism: not only do the figures look "regular," but the artist is giving us a very real
sense of this moment. The body of Christ looks truly dead, the figures struggle to hold
the dead weight of his body and ease him down gently into his tomb. They are all very
ordinary looking and not idealized at all.
Baroque art wants to get to you in your body—so you really feel it, and relate to it.
When you know something in your mind it is one thing, but when you experience it
with your body it is really different. Baroque art wants you to have an experience
that's located in your body—unlike the High Renaissance, which appealed to the
mind.
4. The Enlightenment
The thinkers of the Enlightenment, influenced by the scientific revolutions of the
previous century, believed in shedding the light of science and reason on the world,
and in order to question traditional ideas and ways of doing things. The scientific
revolution gave the impression that the universe behaved according to universal and
unchanging laws. This provided a model for looking rationally on human institutions
as well as nature. The Enlightenment was a period of profound optimism, a sense that
with science and reason human society would improve.
The Enlightenment encouraged criticism of the corruption of the monarchy (at this
point Louis XVI), and the aristocracy. They condemned Rococo art for being immoral
and indecent and called for a new kind of art.
In 1789 the French Revolution began. The Neo-classicists, such as Jacques-Louis
David, preferred the well-delineated form—clear drawing and modeling. The Neo-
classical surface had to look perfectly smooth—no evidence of brush-strokes should
be discernable to the naked eye. The Neo-classicists wanted to express rationality and
sobriety that was fitting for their times. David supported the rebels through an art that
asked for clear-headed thinking, self-sacrifice to the State and an austerity
reminiscent of Republican Rome.
5. David became closely aligned with the republican government and his work was
increasingly used as propaganda with the Death of Marat proving his most
controversial work. David sought to transfer the sacred qualities long associated with
the monarchy and the Catholic Church to the new French Republic. He painted Marat,
martyr of the Revolution, in a style reminiscent of a Christian martyr, with the face and
body bathed in a soft, glowing light.
The Revolution was extreme in its excesses and soon gave way to The Terror, of
which both David and Marat played a pivotal role. The painting was used heavily as a
strong piece of pro-revolutionary propaganda but waned in influence as the revolution
waned.
By the time Napolean declares himself emperor of France, David has escaped
execution for his role in The Terror and is appointed first painter for Napolean,
glorifying him in much the same way as Louis the XVI.
6. Romanticism
The modernist thinking which emerged in the Renaissance began to take shape as a
larger pattern of thought in the 18th century. Mention may be made first of the so-
called ‘Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns’, a literary and artistic dispute that
dominated European intellectual life at the end of the 17th century and the beginning
of the 18th century. The crux was the issue of whether Moderns (i.e. contemporary
writers and artists) were now morally and artistically superior to the Ancients (i.e.
writers and artists of ancient Greece and Rome).
As the 19th century progressed, the practice of artistic freedom became fundamental
to progressive modernism. Artists began to seek freedom not just from the rules of
the Academy, but from the expectations of the public. It was claimed that art
possessed its own intrinsic value and should not have to be made to satisfy any
edifying, utilitarian, or moral function.
The Romantics saw this freedom in the wild abandon of nature. They believed that the
path to intellectual awakening lay in the ability to be awed by the power of nature, its
spectacle and grandeur. This concept, The Sublime, was a fundamental aspect of the
Romantic period in art.
The real turning point came with the invention of photography in the mid 19 th century.
The ability to capture 'reality' allowed artists to concentrate on more individualized
perceptions of nature and existence.
7. Early Modernism
Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include relatively small, thin, yet visible
brush strokes; open composition ; emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its
changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time); common,
ordinary subject matter; the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human
perception and experience; and unusual visual angles.
The impressionists are interested in new advances in science and ways of seeing.
They took a strong interest in how reality is perceived through different types of light.
Other variants of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism focus on other aspects of
visual perception:
Pointilism and Fauvism focus on the uses of color and the way the eye mixes color in
the mind.
Expressionism focuses on emotion and feeling rather than scientific analysis.
Many of these artists are rejected by the French academy, either for their techniques
or their subject matter. Eduard Manet sets up his own exhibition of rejected works and
begins a tradition of Modernism opposing the status quo and establishment ideas.
8. Cubism and Futurism
By the beginning of the 20th century, the industrial revolution has given way to a full
scale explosion in mass-production and technological advancement. Moving pictures,
radio transmissions, skyscrapers, trains, automobiles all allow for a new perspective
of the world and there is a great faith that industry will allow for a progression
towards a utopian ideal.
With this perception, there is also an embrace of the picture plane as a space for
artistic experimentation in capturing the spirit of the age, one of speed, progress, and
advancement.
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque invent Cubism in Paris. It is an attempt to depict
multiple views of an object or scene in a single picture. It also draws on the simplified
abstraction of indigenous art from Africa. These experiments also lead to the
invention of collage, in which elements from the real world are introduced into the
pictorial space.
Futurism is an Italian art movement that obsessed over the promise of mechanization
and saw beauty only in speed and movement. They saw the future of humanity in the
machine and saw the current age as decadent and inept. The only answer, they said,
was to use mechanical warfare as a way to cleanse humanity and rebuild a new
technological utopia.
9. WWI and Culture
WWI begins in 1914 and consumes all of Europe, eventually drawing in the United
States and ending in 1918. It represents a number of major changes in the world,
socio-economically and culturally.
Primarily, it ends the love affair between art and technological progress. Once the full
power of the machine is put to use in warfare, it becomes clear that industry held the
potential to not only progress humanity but also to destroy it.
WWI also marked the final end of the Age of Empires in Europe. Following the war,
representative democracy takes hold across the continent.
The war also provides grounds for cynicism in the arts. Many thousands of
intellectuals died in the war, and the few who returned no longer had the same
enthusiasm for war. Rather than a path to glory, it was only a mindless slaughter,
orchestrated by wealthy elites.
Dadaism is first invented in Zurich in 1916 but spreads after the war to Berlin and on
to the US. These artists were all horrified by the war, which they blamed on Western
civilization itself. To express their revolt, they organized "anti-art" events. These
events were principally directed against Western art, which the Dadaists saw as the
highest expression of the culture they abhorred.
10. Between the Wars
Berlin and Paris become cultural capitals in the years between the wars.
The Weimar Republic in Germany allows for a broad freedom of expression but soon
leads to corruption and decadence. Berlin is a hotbed of political activism as well as a
promiscuous nightlife. The New Objectivists are interested in capturing this world
with all its imperfections. Otto Dix and George Grosz depict this side of Berlin:
prostitutes, cabarets, disfigured war veterans, as well as mocking the bureaucracy
and financial elites.
The Surrealist movement was founded in Paris 1924 by a small group of writers and
artists who sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the
imagination. Disdaining rationalism and literary realism, and powerfully influenced by
Freud, the Surrealists believed the conscious mind repressed the power of the
imagination, weighting it down with taboos. Influenced also by Marx, they hoped that
the psyche had the power to reveal the contradictions in the everyday world and spur
on revolution. Their emphasis on the power of the imagination puts them in the
tradition of Romanticism, but unlike their forbears, they believed that revelations
could be found on the street and in everyday life.
11. New York
The Armory Show in 1913 is America's first introduction to European Modernism. It is
not taken seriously at first. Alfred Stieglitz is an early champion and shows many of
the moderns at his 291 gallery.
America has a strong artistic tradition based on a social realism. The Great
Depression sees many artists commissioned by the government to depict themes of
hard work, perseverance, and the spirit of the people. Regionalism is the label applied
to artists working in different areas of the Midwest and focused on mythologizing the
American Experience.
The Ashcan School in NYC takes the immigrant experience of the city as its
inspiration. John Sloan and Robert Henri depict the vibrancy of life in the tenements
while Edward Hopper captures the alienation of the individual among the teeming
masses.
The Harlem Renaissance is a strong cultural force for African Americans in the city.
Jacob Lawrence and Stuart Davis take more influence from the European modernists
in their depiction of life in the black community.
By the end of the 1930s, the influx of intellectuals escaping Europe cements NY as the
new capital of the art world.
12. Abstract Expressionism
During and following WWII, artists in New York begin making work in a new style:
large, athletic, aggressive and masculine. They are influenced by the European
modernists living among them, especially the Surrealists and their focus on the
subconscious as a means for expression. However, they also embrace an
existentialist view, in which the artist alone creates his perception of an absurd and
chaotic universe. Ab-Ex would be the last big movement of High Modernism.
Jackson Pollock used hardened brushes, sticks, and even basting syringes as paint
applicators. Pollock's technique of pouring and dripping paint is thought to be one of
the origins of the term action painting. With this technique, Pollock was able to
achieve a more immediate means of creating art, the paint now literally flowing from
his chosen tool onto the canvas. By defying the convention of painting on an upright
surface, he added a new dimension by being able to view and apply paint to his
canvases from all directions.
The hallmark of de Kooning's style was an emphasis on complex figure ground
ambiguity. Background figures would overlap other figures causing them to appear in
the foreground, which in turn might be overlapped by dripping lines of paint thus
positioning the area into the background. During this period he also created other
paintings of women. Aggressive brushwork and strategically placed high-key colors in
these paintings merged with images of toothy snarls, overripe, pendulous breasts,
enlarged eyes and blasted extremities to reveal a woman seemingly congruent with
some of modern man's most widely held sexual fears.
13. Movements After 1945
Pop Art rejected the intellectualism of High Modernism in favor of a celebration of
“Low Culture”: cartoons, comic books, television, celebrity and advertising. They saw
no need to create new ideas and imagery but rather felt free to appropriate the culture
they saw around them. Andy Warhol was obsessed with creating art that looked like it
had been mass-produced while Roy Lichtenstein copied panels from comic books,
enlarging them and placing them in a new context.
Minimalismwas shaped by a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. Minimalists
wanted to remove suggestions of self-expressionism from the art work, as well as
evocations of illusion or transcendence - or, indeed, metaphors of any kind, though as
some critics have pointed out, that proved difficult. Unhappy with the modernist
emphasis on medium-specificity, the Minimalists also sought to erase distinctions
between paintings and sculptures, and to make instead, as Donald Judd said:
"specific objects."
Land Art sought to eliminate the effect of market forces on art. They created art
outside the gallery and museum, in nature, often in massive scale. They wanted the art
to be experienced and to affect the senses rather than be collected and sold. This
movement also coincided with a broader interest in ecology and the environment.
Installation art was a movement that tried to overwhelm the viewer's senses. It created
environments that completely surrounded the viewer and forced them to move
through spaces and experience the art in a temporal sense.
14. In creating entire environments for the viewer, artists also became interested in new
technologies to engage the senses. Sound art and video art offered new possibilities
for disrupting normal perceptions of the world. It borrowed from many previous
movements but also embraced the most current recording and playback technology.
This allowed it to take the form of many versions of popular culture and therefore
successfully subvert them in order to examine and challenge their structures.
Street Art is the most recent of the art movements we've discussed. It incorporates
many aspects of modernism: challenges to the status quo, cynicism of authority,
radical politics and new ways of depicting images. It also operates in the public space,
allowing for a dialog between it and other imagery we see on a daily basis.