Section One Flashcards
What is the goal of Art History?
To understand the work of art and its meaning in its historical context, taking into consideration it’s qualities, function, goals and intentions of artist and patron, social position and perspectives of the audiences
What is art history?
An academic discipline dedicated to the reconstruction of the social, cultural and economic contexts in which an object was created
What disciplines is art history also related to?
Anthropology, history and sociology
Art history often overlaps…
Aesthetics and art criticism
What is aesthetics?
Philosophical inquiry into the nature or expression of beauty
What is art criticism?
Explanation of current art events to the general public via the press
In the past art historians limited thier focus to?
Fine art
What does fine art include?
Paintings, prints, drawings, culture and architecture
What do art historians study today that was generally ignored in the past?
Crafts such as textiles, pottery and body art such as tattoos
Modern day art historians also include what in the category of art?
Mass-produced posters and advertisements, as well as design of ordinary objects
What differences influence the meaning of a work per person?
Social status, education, physical access to the work, religious background, race and gender
What are the two methods of art analysis?
Formal analysis and contextual analysis
What is formal analysis?
When it is assumed that the decisions that the artist makes about his work reveals something about the meaning. Requires excellent skills in observation. Also the object is the primary focus
What is contextual analysis?
When you look outside the work to determine its meaning. Focuses on social, cultural, religious and economic context in which the art is produced. Issues such as patronage, viewer access, physical location, cost and the relation of subject matter to other works
Archival sources include?
Letters between artist and Patron, documents relating to the commission and art criticism at the time of the works production
Who wrote Natural History?
Pliny the Elder
What was Natural History?
A book that analyzed historical and contemporary art
What did Giorgio Vasari write?
The Lives of the Artists
Who wrote The Lives of the Artists?
Giorgio Vasari
What is the Lives of the Artists?
A book that provides insights into the changing roles of artists in society during the Renaissance and the developing concept of artistic genius
Modern art was strongly influenced by what person?
Johann Joachim Winckelmann
What did Winckelmann shift to?
A rigorous study of stylistic development as related to historical context
Art history now includes viewpoints from?
Marxism, feminism and psychology
What is the oldest work of art studied?
The cave paintings in Chauvet Cave in southeastern France