Houston Community College, SW Jason Kishell Art Appreciation
Test #3 Study Guide
Craft as Art - The definition we use in class to determine the difference between art and craft: If a work is primarily made to be used, it is considered craft, but if it is primarily made to be seen, it is considered art.
- There are five primary craft media: - Clay (ceramics) - Wood - Metal (metalsmithing, jewelry) - Glass - Fiber (paper-making, felting, tapestry, weaving, sewing/stitching, crochet, knitting, quilt-making, embroidery, etc.)
- Three ways of working with glass: - Hot glass- glass blowing - Warm glass- kiln worked, casting, slumping, fusing, lampwork, and bead-making - Cold glass- mosaic, stained-glass, and grinding
- Metalsmithing is using “soft” metal (usually a precious or semi-precious metal) to create detail works with high craftsmanship - Blacksmithing is using “hard” metals to create works that typically lack detail (traditionally iron or steel)
Architecture - Almost all western architecture is based on ancient Greek and Roman ideals, principles, and architectural design.
- The “look” of architecture was most often determined by three factors: 1. Environment 2. Technology 3. Function
- There are two types of walls: 1. Shell system: one material for the wall and support 2. Skeleton and Skin system: basic interior frame with a more fragile outer covering
- Tensile strength is the ability of a material to span horizontal distances without support and without buckling in the middle
- Post-and-lintel construction: a horizontal beam supported at each end by a load-bearing vertical post or wall
- Load Bearing: Bearing the weight of the material on top
- Columns: - Drum- an individual section of a column - Fluting- the parallel groves running the length of a column - Acropolis- The highest point of a city; usually where the biggest and most important temples or buildings are found. - Colonnade- a row of columns - The three Greek orders of architectural columns are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
- The Roman’s greatest contribution to architecture was the invention of concrete.
- Romanesque: Using Roman methods and forms; rational order and logical development
- Cast-Iron construction: adding carbon to iron
- Steel-and-Reinforced-Concrete construction was a technological innovation that made large buildings and sky-scrapers possible
- Cantilever- an overhang that extends away from a structure without support from beams; the support comes from the greater part of the total length being secured.
- Spain and the United Arab Emirates have defined themselves as centers of international architectural experimentation
The Design Profession - The Arts and Crafts Movement: A rejection of mass-production caused by the Industrial Revolution William Morris’s style is about simplicity and utility. William Morris is often considered the father of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Art Nouveau: Vibrant colors, wave-like lines, organic and undulating elements
Art Deco: Up-to-date materials, geometric lines and shapes, straight, simple, and rectilinear
Avant-Gardes: A rejection of the past, embracing all things new The Avant-Gardes believed in a simplified visual vocabulary and dynamic space in architecture - Russian Constructivism: Same principles as the Avant-Gardes, with a focus on industry and mass-production.
- Typography - Serif type: small lines at the end of the letter’s main stroke - Sans serif: “without serif”
- The Bauhaus: A German arts and crafts school that embraced the idea of using only modern materials and methods to showcase “the look of the new”.
- Streamlining: Rounded edges and smooth transitional curves
- The 1940s and 1950s: Graceful, organic, and compact designs that emphasize the use of new materials.
- Postmodern design (postmodernism): A rejection of unity; an all-embracing stew of the human experience; Postmodernism is about the individual and self-expression