1: BASIC PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF ART o Encounter with time that instills

knowledge
Art – Latin word “Ars” meaning skill
- Inspired by nature
… as MIMESIS (Plato) o Observation and investigation of nature
o Replica of the real world or truth
- Greek word; imitation, representation
- Reflects beauty
- Interpret world through imitation, mimicry of
o Invention of detail, choice of words,
reality
exquisite care of execution
- Only reflect appearances; deceptive
- Idea as the ultimate reality 3: SOURCES OF SUBJECT
- Art is twice removed from reality
1. Still life – inanimate objects
… as REPRESENTATION (Aristotle) 2. Landscapes, Seascapes, Cityscapes – primary
focus is the natural scenery
- Representing and recreating reality or nature
3. Animals –
- Reality to a new form
4. Portraits – realistic likeness of a person
- Something that is intended to stand for
5. Everyday life – observation of people
something else without looking like it
6. History – heroic narrative
- Semblance form instead of actual form
7. Figurative – features human figure
- Not to reproduce reality but to create reality of
the same intensity (Alberto Giacometti) 4: TYPES OF SUBJECTS
- Non-representational theory: art is anything
a. Representational Art – subject clearly
that is about something
identifiable
… for ART’S SAKE (Kant) b. Nonrepresentational Art – derived from natural
sources
- L’art pour L’art
- Purposeless; ultimate freedom 5: MANNER OF PRESENTING ART AS A SUBJECT
- Exist on its own merits, center of its own world
1. Realism
… as an ESCAPE - Began in France, 1850’s
- Popularity grew with introduction of
- Healthy distraction to break free temporarily
photography
from routine; diversion
- Objective reality
… as FUNCTIONAL a. Hyperrealism – resembles high-definition
photography
a. Non-motivated: innate, unconscious artistic
2. Abstraction
instincts
- Latin word “abstractus” meaning drawn away
- Appreciation for harmony, balance,
- Separated from material objects
rhythm
- Opposite of realism
- Experience of the mysterious
- Exaggerated emotionalism
- Expression of the imagination; tangible
a. Cubism – subject represented by geometric
form to the unknown
shapes
- Ritualistic and symbolic functions
b. Distortion – subject is altered; twisted
b. Motivated: conscious intentions
c. Elongation – image is stretched out or
- Expression and communication
lengthened
- Embodies attitude, feeling, point of
d. Mangling - subject are cut, lacerated, mutilated,
views
torn, hacked, or disfigured
- Transmit something to an audience
e. Abstract Expressionism
- Entertainment, political change and
- Feelings and mood of the artist; about shapes,
social inquiry
no real-life images
- Theory: self-expression, release pent-up
- Modern art movement from America after
emotions
WW2
- Persuasion: influence popular concepts
- Paint rapidly to show emotions, non-
2: ASSUMPTIONS AND NATURE OF ART geometrical, large brushes, dripping
3. Symbolism – visual sign for something invisible
Art… (idea/quality)
- Is everywhere 4. Fauvism – (French-les fauves: the wild beast)
- Expression and communication spontaneity and use of extreme bright colors; color
o Expression of profound thoughts, ideas has mystical quantity that could express feelings
and emotions 5. Dadaism – (dada-hobbyhorse) nonsensical way;
- Creation claimed to be anti-art
o Man creates art and he creates it for 6. Futurism – love for speed, technology, violence
many reasons 7. Surrealism – child of dada, extraordinary;
o Pleasure in creating imagination and fantasy, hidden depths of
- Relates to experience unconscious mind
a. Scale – changing an object’s size
 a. Levitation – floating objects Famous Artist:
b. Juxtaposition – joining two images
 Gian Lorenzo Bernini – St. peters square and
together
basilica, The ecstasy of St. Theresa (1652)
c. Dislocation – placing an object in
 Monteverde
unfamiliar environment
 Corelle
d. Transparency – making objects
 Vivaldi
transparent
 Bach
e. Transformation – changing objects in
 Handel
unusual way
D. Rococo
8. Impressionism – optical realism; derived from
- More decorative effect
nature; “en plein air” painting outside
- Rocaille meaning shell
6: LEVELS OF MEANING - Aimed to please rather than instruct
- No particular meaning
A. Factual Meaning – literal statement, narrative
- Style of ornament and interior design
content
B. Subjective Meaning – artist’s meaning to its own Famous Artist:
work
 Jean Antoine Watteau – pleasures of the ball (1717)
a. Symbols
 Filippo Juvara – Great Hall at Stupinigi Palace (1729-
b. Animals
1733)
c. Colors
E. Romanticism
C. Conventional (special) Meaning – particular
- Medieval stories of heroism and emotion
culture, society, group of people
- Individuality and creativity of the artist
a. National costumes
- Free to express view of the world whatever
b. Tribal clothes and accessories
medium
c. Headdress
- Originality, inspiration and imagination
7: History of Art - Sense, emotion and reason
- Common subject: nature, past, inner world of
A. Renaissance
human nature
- French word meaning rebirth
- Influence by Greek, gothic, renaissance and
- Landscape art became common
baroque style
- Dramatic postures, foreshortening
- Marble blocks as medium for sculpture Famous Artist
- Objects contained within a frame
 Eugene Delacroix – liberty leading the people (1830)
Famous Artist:  Charles Garnier – Palaos Garnier opera house (1875)
 Auguste Bartholdi – Statue of Liberty
 Leonardo da Vinci “renaissance man”
F. Impressionism
 Giotto
- Inspired by Monet’s Painting “impression
 Massaccio
sunrise”
 Michaelangelo Buonarroti – The creation of Adam
- Rebellion against conventional and academic
Sistine chapel ceiling (1511)
standards
 Raphael Sanzio – madonnas, School of Athens (1509
- Paint outdoors to capture natural color and light
– 1511)
- On-the-spot painting
 William Shakespeare – hamlet and Macbeth,
- Artist’s perception of the subject
merchant of Venice
- Realistic subject, geometrical forms to express
B. Mannerism (late renaissance)
inner vision
- Italian “maniera” meaning style
- Pointillism: tiny dots of color, pioneered by
- Style turned against traditional conventions
George Seurat
- Portrayed in a more artificial and less
naturalistic way Famous Artist:
- Sculptures show power and tension
 Claude Monet – Sunrise (1873)
- Contortion and twisting of bodies
 George Seurat
- “Figura Serpentinata” (serpentine figure) shows
 Paul Cezanne
spiral poses
 Gauguin
Famous Artist:  Vincent van Gogh
G. Art Nouveau
 Parmigianino – Madonna with Long Neck (1534)
- Fine and decorative arts
 Giambologna – Rape of Sabine Women (1583)
- New art
C. Baroque
- Siegfried Bing - La Maison del art nouveau (the
- Barocco meaning irregular pearl or stone
house of new art)
- Religious paintings, catholic dogma
- Creation of interior spaces of beauty
- Chiaroscuro; contrasting light and shade
- Contemporary and modern style
- Statues to accentuate glory
- Complexity and irregularity; curved lines
- Music: cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio and
- Inspired by Japanese prints
opera
 - Entirely free, asymmetrical, jagged planes, no - Character of the relationship between the
straight walls, no right angles artist’s ideas and the material facts
- Following a set of written instructions
Famous Artist:
- All art is conceptual in nature (Marcel Duchamp)
 Antonio Gaudi – Casa Mila (1906 – 1912) - Questioning involving the concept versus the
 Katsushika Hokusai – Mount Fuji seen below a wave final product
at Kanagawa (1813) a. Artistic intention, role in ascribing
H. Constructivism meaning
- Vladimir Tatlin b. Visual nature, communicative process
- Rejected the idea of autonomous art c. Labor involved
- Practice for social purposes d. Institutional framing
- Symbol of revolutionary modernism e. How the public comes in contact, how it
- Largely anti-aesthetic helps to create meaning
- Express the aspirations of the aspirations of the f. Art market
revolutionary working class g. Hierarchical structure
- Eager acceptance of machine production and h. Public sphere in producing a market
other modern means of mass communication i. Conventional traditions and rules to
- Alexander Rodchenko – art as catalyst for social determine value
change - Lack of strategic methodology to determine
- Influence in cinema, screenplay, costumes and success
intertitles N. Installation Art
I. De Stijl (The Style) - Configuration of objects in space
- Founded by Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Theo - Interact with some of its elements
van Doesburg (1883-1931) and Jacobus - Form of conceptual art where ideas and impact
Johannes Pieter Oud (1890-1963) are important
- Body of artworks (1917-1931) - Presentation of the message
- Inability of cubism to develop its ultimate goal - Experience that remains tied to a physical space
- Referred to as neoplasticism - Offers reflected realities
- Ideals of purity, harmony and sobriety
Famous Artist:
- Pure abstraction and universality by a reduction
to essentials of form and color Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) – war-scarred ex-professor of
J. Optical Art (Op Art) monumental sculpture; extensive use of found objects
- Favor of geometric abstraction
8: ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS
- Arrangement of elements; color, lines, shapes
K. Popular Art (Pop Art) 1. Lines
- Return to the object - used to control eye movement, delineate and
- Derived from commercial sources, mass and indicates texture whether it is rough, smooth or
everyday life with volume
- Unrelated materials visually removed from its f. One Direction – straight line connotes
own context and expresses emotional sates or
- Richar Hamilton “Just what is it that makes evokes emotional responses
today’s homes so different, so appealing?” g. Horizontal Line – expresses serenity,
perfect stability
Famous Artist:
h. Vertical Line- emphasizes poise, stability
 Robert Rauschenberg and confidence
 Andy Warhol i. Diagonal Line - implies action,
 Roy Lichtenstein movement, instability, feeling of unrest
 Tom Wesselman and uncertainty
 Wanye Thiebaud j. Curved line - implies gradual change,
 George Segal direction, fluidity, grave movement,
 Claes Oldenburg serenity and stability
L. Minimalism k. Angular line - that implies abrupt
- Work kept to apparent minimum directions of changes, creates tension,
- Completely literal presence impression of chaos, confusion and
conflict
Famous Artist:
2. Shapes – simplifies space, two-dimensional;
 Donald Judd enclosed space and is defined by its boundaries
 Carl Andre which maybe lines, colors or even texture
 Dan Flavin a. Organic – may have less-well-defined edges
 Sol Le Witt b. Geometric - have perfect edges; has precise
 Robert Morris lines and mathematically consistent curves
 Tony Smith c. Natural –shapes that are those we see in
M. Conceptualism (Conceptual Art) nature
 d. Abstract - artist draws out the essence of - Symmetrical balance/formal balance – is well-
the original object and made it the subject balanced and stable.
of his work - Asymmetrical balance – is more of a "felt"
e. Non-objective shape - reference to balance
recognizable objects and show a similarity - Radial Balance - objects or patterns in the
to some organic forms. AKA biomorphic artwork are arranged in a circular manner &
shapes they seem to move out of the center
f. Geometric shapes - geometrical solid – E. Proportion
pyramids, cylindrical towers, and box like - relationship of the objects in the picture to
office buildings other objects and their relationship to the
3. Form – physical volume of a shape and the whole picture
space it occupies F. Emphasis and Subordination
- can be representational or abstract - principle concerns giving importance to certain
- refers to sculpture, 3D design and architecture; aspects of an artwork in relation to the whole
illusion of 3D on a 2D surface
- modelled (added form), carved (subtracted
form) and constructed (built form)
4. Area that an artist provide either as conducive
or ideal for a certain or particular purposes
 Negative space – that are not occupied by any
form. (Whitespace – is the distance between
objects between objects.
 Positive Space - is everything that makes up the
subject of art.
 Decorative Space -refers to space that exists
across the plane, cut, divided or re-arranged
into a smaller or ideal space.
 Plastic Space - when there is no single formulas
for creating the illusion of space
5. Texture - feel or tactile of the surface of an
object whether it is rough, smooth, ridged, furry
or silky. Reflects intricacy in the art work
6. Color - most important elements of art because
of its aesthetic nature. It inspires, move
emotions and feelings
 Hue – quality that gives color its name
o Slip Complimentary – one hue plus the
hues on each side of its complement
o Double Complimentary – uses two to
four colors adjacent. Arranged into two
complementary color pairs
o Spot Color – adding a specific second
color to the single color normally used,
wherein black is the traditional single
color
 Intensity - brightness or dullness of a color
7. Value – lightness and darkness of a color

Principles of Design

A. Unity and harmony

- combination of similar elements to create a
sense of wholeness
- achieved by repetition
B. Rhythm
- "feeling" of movement achieved by the
repetition of visual elements
C. Variety
- combination of elements that differ from one
another, like combining different colors, shapes,
and textures

D. Balance