General Concepts Flashcards
What are the aims of the Art History Chapter?
- discuss the significance of the concepts of the canon and authority for Art History
. examine some of the ideas that have shaped the canon of art and how these have changed over time
. familiarise you with works of art in different media by Caravaggio and Ai Weiwei
. develop your skills of visual and textual analysis.
Define high art.
Art for the intellectual upper class, enjoyed alongside philosophy etc, not simple art for the masses.
Which art museums are mentioned in the book?
Louvre in Paris Museum of Modern Art in New York National Gallery in London Tate Modern, London Turner Contemporary, Margate The Metropolitan in New York
What is original Greek meaning on Canon?
Measuring stick - signify standard against which something can be judged.
What is the definition of Classicism?
Beauty
Perfect balance
Pictures of nice sunny days
Reference to work inspired by models provided by Ancient Greece and Rome, in the form of poems, plays, temples, statues, vases and so forth.
Aim in Western Europe from Renaissance onwards was to present an idealised version of the world.
Also associated with abstract design principles: order, harmony, proportion and balance (so work of art can be classical even not directly connected to Greek/Roman models)
What is definition of Romanticism?
Sublime
If picture was of a sun setting over water, it would not focus on the beauty, rather it would be on an impending storm or something dramatic
What is Renaissance?
Rebirth.
Used to describe a historical period 1400-1600.
And a process of cultural transformation.
Relates primarily to resurgence of interest in, and attempts to, emulate artistic and intellectual heritage of Ancient Greece and Rome.
What is the definition of genre.
French term for type or species. Art historians use it to differentiate between types of pictures: portraits, landscape so on.
What are some themes of authority from The National Gallery?
The National Gallery (1824) - Britain dominant power in the world - naming it National gallery gives it Authority. It is built in the Classical style with a portico and triangular pediment - mirroring St Martin in the Fields, giving it a sacred aura. It is dominant building in the center of London, taking up whole north side of Trafalgar square Inviting with broad stairs leading up to it - for everyone as busses and tubes there - free entry. Aka patricotic feeling, social prestige, quasi-religious devotion and democratic ideas.
What is defintion of Impressionists?
Late 19th Century art movement characterised by formal experimentation and sketchy application of paint, resulting from the artist desire to capture a fleeting impression on the canvas. Term coined by French art critic Louis Leroy in 1874 in review of first exhibition by a group of artists: Monet, PIssarro, Renoir, Morisot, Degas, Sisley, (Manet associated with Impressionist but never exhibited with them).
What is the defintion of Post-Impressionist?
Coined by art critic Roger Fry to distinguish work of several French Painters towards end of 19th Century Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Seurat. Followed on heels of impressionists and painted in a more artificial palette, with expressive brush strokes and thincker application of paint - all draws attention to the flatness of the canvass support. More passion and emotion.
What is realism according to the chapter?
Any work of art that offers a convincing representation of the way things look to us may be called ‘realist’. However, Realism more strictly refers to a 19th Century French art movement; artists associated with it depicted contemporary life among ordinary people in a down to earth unidealised way. Caravaggio is linked to this movement - as ‘the first realist’. The word realism also appears in 17th century text, although it was translated from Naturalness which is simlar but has looser meaning.
Describe Tate Modern
Opened in 2000 on the banks of the Thames. Modern and contemporary art. Converted power station massive central turbine hall.
Attract 5 to 6 million visitors per year.
Other Tate buildings: Modern (modern and contemporary British and international art) Tate Britain(British art 1500-present day), Liverpool (same as modern but smaller)and St Ives (modern art from artists connection to area) and Turner Contemporary( same as modern but smaller). Waterfront offering dramatic vistas - stand as landmarks symbolising best of British art. Exemplified by Turner famous paintings, looking out to see. Tate is considered storehouse of the modern canon.
Such dramatic and spectacular physical environments merge with power of the brand to confer special status on objects exhibited within.
What is installation art?
Consist of group or assemblage of objects or sculptural forms, and is often large scale, has become one of most visible and successful new genres of modern art.
