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Art Appreciation an Introduction to the Formal Elements and Mediums

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Art Appreciation an Introduction to the Formal Elements and Mediums ART APPRECIATION AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMAL ELEMENTS AND MEDIUMS FIRST EDITION BY DAVE PLOUFFE Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Kassie Graves, Director of Acquisitions and Sales Jamie Giganti, Senior Managing Editor Miguel Macias, Graphic Designer/Senior Graphic Designer Bob Farrell, Acquisitions Editor Gem Rabanera, Project Editor Alexa Lucido, Licensing Specialist Berenice Quirino, Associate Production Editor Chris Snipes, Interior Designer Copyright © 2018 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any informa- tion retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc. For inquiries regarding permis- sions, translations, foreign rights, audio rights, and any other forms of reproduction, please contact the Cognella Licensing Department at [email protected]. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Cover image copyright © 2016 iStockphoto LP/syolacan. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-63487-937-8 (pbk) / 978-1-63487-938-5 (br) CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO ART 6 CHAPTER 2: ART IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE 12 CHAPTER 3: THE LANGUAGE OF ART 24 II VOCABULARY OF FORMALISM CHAPTER 4: LINE 36 CHAPTER 5: SPACE AND THE ILLUSION OF SPACE 50 CHAPTER 6: COLOR 66 CHAPTER 7: MOTION AND THE ILLUSION OF MOTION 86 CHAPTER 8: PATTERN AND TEXTURE 94 CHAPTER 9: BALANCE 106 CHAPTER 10: EMPHASIS AND FOCAL POINT 114 CHAPTER 11: SCALE, REPETITION, AND UNITY 122 III MEDIUMS CHAPTER 12: DRAWING 134 CHAPTER 13: PRINTMAKING 146 CHAPTER 14: PHOTOGRAPHY 154 CHAPTER 15: PAINTING 168 CHAPTER 16: SCULPTURE 180 CHAPTER 17: PERFORMANCE ART 192 CHAPTER 18: ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE 200 CHAPTER 19: MODERN ARCHITECTURE 214 CHAPTER 20: CRAFT VERSUS FINE ART 228 IV CASE STUDIES IN ART HISTORY CHAPTER 21: DESIGN STYLES, 1850–1950 240 CHAPTER 22: RENAISSANCE ART 250 CHAPTER 23: MODERN ART 262 CHAPTER 24: VINCENT VAN GOGH 274 GLOSSARY 286 INTRODUCTION SECTION I CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO ART CHAPTER 2 ART IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE CHAPTER 3 THE LANGUAGE OF ART Figure 1.1: Édouard Manet, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1881–82. Oil on Canvas, 37.8 in × 51.2 in, Courtauld Institute of Art, London. AN INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TO ART 1 WHAT IS ART? SYLLABUS PG 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENT PG 11 APPROACHING THE TEXT PG 9 IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT PG 11 HELPFUL HINTS PG 10 7 WHAT IS ART? Art is a boundless term. It truly escapes definition and means different things to different people. What I consider to be art may not be what WELCOME TO THE STUDY OF ART! you consider to be art. Not only does the mean- But, what exactly is … art? How does one go ing vary from person to person, but also from about defining that term? Most of us have not culture to culture and from generation to genera- spent much time thinking about its definition. tion. Each person looks at and interacts with art After all, it is only a three-letter word and differently. somewhat difficult to misspell. It is a word we This is what makes the study of art so enjoy- all know and use, yet it is a very deceiving word. able and interesting. Art is amorphous, shapeless, Take a moment and think about keywords that and nebulous. You can think of it as a gray cloud could be used to build a definition that would with indistinct edges. Just when we are able to explain what art is to someone who has never put a definition to it the cloud changes; it trans- experienced it before. Among the first words forms, it develops, and it evolves into something that usually comes to mind is expressive. Yes, art different. Consider the art produced during the is definitely expressive. How about communica- Renaissance, which includes those famous works tion? Much of the art that has been produced that we all know about, such as Leonardo da over the past centuries involves some sort of Vinci’s Last Supper (see fig 22.8) and the Statue narrative; it tells a story. Other words quickly of David by Michelangelo (see fig 22.7). That art start coming to mind: passion, beauty, ugliness, is very different from the art produced during intellect, radical, unique, creative, confusing, the modern era (chapter 23). This is because the religious, political, fun, symbolic, subjective, definition and meaning of art changed. Art will emotional, propaganda, and the list continues continue to evolve. It will be different 50 or even from there. But when we take a look back at 100 years from now. The definition you create those 17 words, we can see how diverse they are, today will most likely be altered by the end of the and that all of them can be used to define that semester. The important thing to remember is three-letter word … art. that you get to decide what is or what is not art. 8 | INTRODUCTION TO ART APPROACHING THE TEXT art we see how the avant-garde artists took art in a totally different direction, breaking from This book is not a chronological survey of the his- the traditions that were established during the tory of art. That can be found in boundless other Renaissance. The chapter on design styles makes tomes of varying complexity. Instead, the inten- one take notice of the stylistic influences that af- tion of this book is to serve as a starting point for fected artistic output during the nineteenth and someone as they enter the study of art. It is geared twentieth centuries. for the person with little or no experience with The final chapter deals with the singular art- this topic. It is meant to serve as a stepping-stone ist, Vincent van Gogh. This artist and his works, into a new and exciting world. more than any other artist in this book, seem to The first two sections of the text (chapters 2 resonate with students across their varied back- through 11) introduces you to the formal ele- grounds. However, the average person knows ments of art. These include topics such as line, little about him except for the fact that he severed space, and color. They are the building blocks that his ear. His story is worthy of being told. artists utilize when they construct their works, Each chapter contains a study guide, which as well as the terms viewers would use to dissect could include vocabulary words as well as and talk about artworks. These chapters are heavy artistic concepts. The vocabulary words are in on vocabulary so that the learner can gain the bold throughout the text and are defined in the language needed to feel more comfortable talking glossary found at the back of the book. Although about the subject. It provides a basis or starting it is nice to memorize definitions, a definition point from which to learn about the subject. becomes useless if an individual cannot apply the The third section of the text (chapters 12 term to the context in which it is presented. For through 20) explores the different media and example, one might be able to perfectly recite a processes that artists use in the creation of their definition of symmetrical balance (chapter 9), but art forms. Here we look at mediums such as without being able to look at a specific artwork drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. and explain whether that work in in symmetrical We can see the advantages and disadvantages, balance is paramount in terms of importance. even the struggles, that artists might have within Therefore, many examples of the terms are used a particular medium. throughout the book. The last four chapters stand alone and focus Many of the chapters also contain projects. on subjects of particular interest to students of The goals of these projects are to keep students art. The Italian Renaissance is a very comfortable engaged with the material being presented and to period to study, as we are already familiar with help them master the concepts. People can read many of the artists emerging from that era, such all they want about art, but until they actually take as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Even part themselves, they cannot be fully invested in today the cities of Florence and Rome remain the process of learning about the subject. Creating popular destinations for the world traveler to see an artwork, no matter how minor or insignificant the incredible works of art that emerged from this it may be, changes the way an individual thinks 300-year time span. In the chapter on modern about the subject. AN Introduction to Art | 9 HELPFUL HINTS When writing about an artwork the title should always be italicized. You will notice The study of art is probably new and unfamiliar throughout this text that anytime a painting or to most of you reading this book. The study of sculpture is mentioned the name is italicized art is much different than the study of math or as it is here in chapter 1 with A Bar at the science. In those subjects, there are strict for- Folies-Bergère (fig 1.1). The only exception to mulas and rules to follow. They lead you along a this rule is architecture: we do not italicize the specific pathway or through a set of instructions titles of buildings. in order to reach a singular correct answer.
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