Art Answers Flashcards
(22 cards)
1 a) Introduction:
The artwork ‘Guernica’ by Picasso uses techniques to successfully create an impactful artwork. The piece is inspired by the ruthless German bombings of a Basque town which are depicted in his famous cubist style.
1 a) Composition/Arrangement :
The composition in the piece is cluttered because elements are overlapping and all over the artwork. This wild arrangement creates an equally wild mood that confuses the viewer and makes them feel uncomfortable because there is no focal point.
The perspective of the piece adds to the confusing atmosphere because, unlike real life, there is no depth and multiple perspectives are depicted at once.
1 a) Media Handling/Techniques
The oil on canvas used here was Picasso’s usual medium which was a paint that allows him to create large paintings, this increases the visual impact of the piece to the viewer because it is larger.
During the creation of the artwork Picasso tried using pieces of wallpaper to create texture, this shows that Picasso was open to a variety of techniques and mediums because using wall paper is very unusual.
1 a) Colour
The colours in the painting are all greyscale with a yellow tone emitting from the light, this creates a mood of despair because they are lifeless and hopeless colours.
Picasso’s use of contrasting black and white draws attention to different elements which moves the audience’s eye around the artwork and creates a chaotic visual impact because the audience doesn’t know what to focus on.
1 a) Line
The lines of the small bird on the left are the only thing that give the bird shape which is different from the rest of the artwork suggesting that the bird was safer than the people because it could fly away.
Furthermore there are thin, straight, diagonal lines coming from the light which add to the violent atmosphere because they resemble sharp shards or rays.
1 a) Tone
The large tonal range in this artwork creates a dramatic atmosphere because there is a strong contrast between light and shadow.
The application of grisaille and chiaroscuro create a mood and atmosphere of violence of despair due to the high conrasts of the lifeless colours black and white.
1 a) Texture
There is a rough and scratchy texture over a lot of the artwork but other areas also look smooth, this contrast in textures gives the feeling that the people are suffering much worse than the buildings because they look more worn.
The visible brushstrokes in the piece show that Picasso created the piece in a rush which makes the viewer feel the urgency in the painting.
1 a) Shape or Form
Most of the elements in the piece are two dimensional looking except for the horse’s head and the disembodied arm at the bottom, this creates confusion in the audience’s mind because we expect the 2D and 3D to be separate.
The form of everything in the artwork is warped and misshapen within the animates looking more natural and the inanimates looking more geometric. The peculiar shapes of the objects align with the cubist style and add to the atmosphere of confusion and make the viewer uncomfortable.
1 a) Pattern
The use of repeating vertical dashes to represent the horse’s fur creates contrast to the resy of the piece as the dashes are aligned linearly which is the only part of the piece that looks orderly.
The lack of pattern within the piece creates a chaotic and disorderly atmosphere because there is no sturcture or repeating elements.
1 a) Scale
The painting itself is huge, around 350 cm tall and 780 cm wide, this increases the visual impact of the piece to the viewer because it is so big.
The artwork’s scale is random with human faces being the same size as the horse’s and body parts being disproportionate, this strange scale hugely confuses the viewer as it is so unlike real life however elements are still recognisable with obvious similarities.
1 a) Style
The style of the painting is clearly Picasso’s famous cubism, this style is defined by the lack of perspective where all angles are shown at once as disproportionate shapes.
It is a very interesting style which creates a confusing atmosphere because it has similarities to real life but also looks weird because it is so abstract.
1 a) Subject Matter/Imagery
The deformed bull on the left represents the chaos that is ensuing in the artwork because even the strong bull, a symbol of Spain, is going mad.
Additionally the arm holding a broken sword at the button shows that the Basques’ defences were useless against the German bombers.
1 a) Mood and Atmosphere
The feelings conveyed in this painting are that of confusion and despair, this is shown by the expressions on the subject matter’s faces which show these feelings.
A chaotic atmosphere is created in the piece due to the chaotic composition that has no structure and is a mix of perspectives that seem random and wild.
1 b) Picasso Influences
Picasso was influenced by Paul Cezanne’s late work and African tribal masks, this is evident in ‘Guernica’ as it is in the cubist style as elements are shown from multiple perspectives at once and have been broken down to their core features.
He was also influenced by his Spanish heritage, this is evident in ‘Guernica’ through his choice of subject matter as a bull is depicted on the left and bulls are a symbol of Spain.
2 a) Introduction
The poster ‘Normandie’ by AM Cassandre uses <techniques> successfully. AM Cassandre was a Czech designer who created impactful posters for big companies in an art deco style.</techniques>
2 a) Function
This poster’s purpose is to advertise tickets for the French transatlantic ship ‘Normandie’ that travels from France to England to America. The ship dominates the poster which makes it stand out to passerbys so they clearly know that it is a strong and luxurious ship.
It has been considered so that it clearly shows the locations the ship goes to, this has been achieved by having the locations in red which contrasts the blue background making it stand out to passerbys.
2 a) Fitness for Purpose
This design fits its purpose well because it clearly advertises the locations that the ship visits and the image of the ship shows that you would travel on a robust and big cruiser. It shows this because the ship dominates the design because of its size and the perspective makes it seem bigger.
It successfully makes the target audience of upper and middle class people who want to travel more interested in buying a ticket because these people will be impressed by the size and safety of the ship that is shown in the design.
2 a) Materials and/or Techniques
It uses lithography which was a commonly used printing technique in the art deco era, this technique made the poster cheaper to manufacture as it was mass produced, which means the poster could reach a wider audience because more posters could be made for the same price.
The lithography technique also gives the design more striking detail which makes the poster more impactful and impressive because it is more realistic than other posters people have seen.
2 a) Target Market/Audience
The posters target market is upper and middle class families who want to travel as in those days travelling was expensive because there was no commercial air travel so a cruise ship was the only option and only upper and middle class families could afford it.
The capacity of the ship was almost 2000 and tickets were expensive meaning tickets were relatively exclusive and only wealthy families could afford them.
2 a) Style
The poster has the typical characteristics of an art deco style design because it has large geometric shapes throughout and is very symmetrical.
This style appeals to the target audience because it is new and exciting and shows them that the ship is strong because of the robust shapes.
2 a) Visual Impact
The design is very striking and memorable because of its art deco style and lithography printing technique that make the design stand out and appeal to the target market because it is new and exciting.
The visual impact of the ship seeming safe and luxurious is created by the ship’s size being dominant which makes the ship seem large and robust.
2 a) Cassandre Influences
Cassandre was heavily influenced by new industrial developments in the early 20th century, this can be seen in his poster ‘Normandie’ though his choice of subject matter which has industrial elements such as the smoky funnel or the huge, geometric hull of the ship.
The invention of the lithography technique influenced Cassandre’s work, this can be seen in ‘Normandie’ as bright red accents and green sea colours are used and the use of bright colours was made possible through lithography.
