UNIT THREE: Art Analysis Paper
https://www.brushwiz.com/most-famous-paintings/ BEST PAINTINGS
Unit Three: Art Illustration:
Direct Teach with guided practice on exercises and quizzes (80% or better) 18-23
Introductions: Opener, Bridge Sentences, Embedded Plan and Thesis 24-29; (57-59): Conclusions: Transition from previous paragraph topic to Thesis, React to the why the text(s) and paper matter, Return to a phrase or idea from the opener
The Short Prose Reader Assignments: Chapter 6: Illustration. Read Brent Staples "Night Walker" (220-227) and Barbara Ehrenreich "What I Have Learned from Men" (228-236).
Read pp 216-227 "Night Walker" snd pp 245-254 "Globalization Rocked the ancient World Too" (Mixed Pattern Paper" Illustration and Compare and Contrast)
Read Student Model Papers on Dali and Warhol through the Art Paper link on course site.
Short Papers: Art Illustration Paper
Rubric: 1-29, 57-59 (+1 for semicolons, varied sentence structure, active voice )
Quiz: 18-29, 57-59
FIRST LESSON:
Visual Art Analysis
Steps for Interpreting Art:
Look at the artist's use of space.
- Is there a center of interest?
Reflect on the overall organization of the work of art.
Look at the artist's use of color and shape.
Look at the movement of the forms.
Write down your impression of the mood.
Does the painting have narrative content (tell a story)?
- How do you know?
- What do you think the story is?
Do you think the artist used symbols?
Look at the brushwork.
- Is the paint applied thickly or thinly?
- Is it transparent or opaque? Is it mixed media?
- Support your main claim with visual details / stylistic elements. - Organize your observations in a logical order.
- Formulate a main claim about the art's message and or messages.
Purpose of Art Illustration Analysis
By observing and writing about separate parts of the art object, you will develop interpretations of meaning.
The purpose of a visual analysis is to recognize and understand the visual choices the artist made
come to a better understanding of the art object as a whole.
A visual analysis addresses an artwork’s formal elements—visual attributes such as: color, line, texture, perspective, chiaroscuro See terms and definitions below.
To write a visual analysis, you must look closely at an art object and will be asked to offer one or
more interpretations of the possible meanings of the work.
SECOND LESSON:
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Answer four prompts when analyzing a work of art (for Anne's classes)
1) Describe what you see: color, line, texture, perspective: use four of five senses from your description
of place writing...
2) What message do you think that the artist is trying to convey?
3) How has the artist used stylistic elements: composition, focus, movement, colors, textures, size,
brushwork, juxtaposition, space to convey meaning?
---Organize your short paragraphs around the stylistic elements and / or motifs /
details that support your interpretation of the painting.
4) Do you think that the artist is successful in conveying the message? Support this claim by
illustrating it with specific details.
THIRD LESSON:
MODEL ART ANALYSIS PAPER
The Curious Wanderer
By, Alex Stuessi
OPENER: “I must stay alone and know that I am alone to contemplate and feel nature in full; I have to surrender myself to what encircles me, I have to merge with my clouds and rocks in order to be what I am” (www.wikiquote.org).
BRIDGE: In Caspar Friedrich’s Wanderer Above The Sea Fog, he illustrates the message in the passage above that solitude is indispensable in finding one's self through nature. HISTOICAL CONTEXT: This painting was created in the wake of the “Romantic Movement in 1880 when art ideals were being changed”; along with Friedrich’s other works, Wanderer Above The Sea Fog captures an intense and emotional focus on nature. (www.wikiquote.org). EMBEDDED PLAN AND THESIS: By looking at the atmospheric perspective, contrasting colors, and the realistic elements in Caspar Friedrich’s Wanderer Above The Sea Fog, this essay will develop painting’s message that one must be alone to contemplate, discover, and perceive the value wilderness.
EXCELLENT OPENER, BRIDGE, PLAN AND THESIS.
In Friedrich’s painting, the atmospheric perspective conveys a sense of infinity that leads one to believe that there is more. (TOPIC SENTENCE) To understand the artist’s meaning of a painting it is helpful to look towards the given perspective. (LINKING SENTENCE) Friedrich’s technique of showcasing perspective leads the viewer not only to believe that there is depth and an “infinite” aspect to the painting, but it also gives us insight on what the man in the painting is seeing. By letting the viewer explore the vast escape of land that the man is seeing, rather than focus on the man entirely, Friedrich gives us a first hand view of what the man is seeing and what intense emotions accompany his vast perspective. (CONCRETE DETAIL) By gazing upon this painting and imagining it in real-life form, there is a sense of awe and fascination that accompanies it. This is important because it is these emotions that lead the viewer to contemplate the seemingly infinite in nature, the enduring power intrinsic to immense natural forms like mountains and the hidden sea, and the presence of divine intentions in the vast scene. (CONNECT TO THESIS ANALYSIS)
- GOOD ANALYSIS AND FOCUS ON THE CONTEMPLATION OF INFINITY.
In addition to exploring the idea that atmospheric perspective expresses a sense of infinity, the painter also develops contrasting colors to reveal the jagged sea rocks and mountains which opens up a whole new door of discovery. The jagged sea rocks may be a metaphor for something that is emerging, but not yet fully developed. This could be linked to the man’s thoughts, and how he may have discovered part of nature’s attributes; there is still much more that is masked from view. Friedrich mixes warm, light colors muted tones of blue to focus the viewer’s sight on what lays below the sea fog. This could be a representation that there are more good things to come, but they just haven’t been uncovered yet. The way Friedrich mixes and blends color leads the viewer to recall the hidden landscape and the wonder that travels with it.
EXCELLENT TRANSITIONAL TOPIC SENTENCE AND ANALYSIS ON THE WARM COLORS REPRESENTING HOPE.
In addition to using contrasting colors to evoke a sense of discovery, Friedrich’s painting also emphasizes realism through his piece of art. GOOD TTS. The man in the painting appears to be alone, and by his almost contemplative stance, one could argue, he is taking in every aspect of what he sees. By using realism to arouse the human aspect of the painting, the viewer can fully comprehend what the man is seeing. Awe, curiosity, and discovery are all human emotions that because of the painting’s realism, can come to life. Had Friedrich decided to paint the landscape in fluorescent colors, or had given the man wings, there would have been a much different effect. It is from this realism that captures the emotional focus on nature AND NATURE’S POWER TO EVOKE REAL EMOTIONS OF AWE.
Friedrich uses atmospheric perspective, contrasting color, and depiction of nature in a realistic manner to convey the lonesomeness that comes with contemplation and discovery of nature. Caspar Friedrich reminds us that there is something good that can come out of being alone, and that it is actually a necessary part of life. People generally relate solitude to unhappiness, but by exploring Friedrich’s ideas, people can shift their perspective and see the good in being solitary. As Caspar Friedrich would say, “I must stay alone and know that I am alone to contemplate and feel nature in full” (www.wikiquote.org).
---
REALLY WELL DONE. YOUR THESIS IS STRONG AND ALL OF YOUR ANALYSIS CONNECTS TO HOW THE PAINTING ADVOCATES FOR SOLITARY MOMENT IN WILDERNESS.
YOU HAVE MASTERED THE FUNDAMENTAL COMMONALITIES OF THE INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS PARAGRAPH WRITING.
YOUR TRANSITIONAL TOPIC SENTENCES AND CONCLUSION ARE EXCELLENT.
A
Millet’s "Angelus":
Salvador Dali's "Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s Angelus":
Assignment for Visual Art Analysis Paper: Observe both the Millet and Dali paintings, , from an exhibit at The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Salvador was a surrealist artist, a movement that aimed to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality". Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequiturs. (wikipedia. Com May 15, 2016)
After taking the virtual tour, please answer the following questions.
1) Describe the artistic details you observe in Salvador Dali's painting:
2) How does Dali's painting develop an overall message?
3) Choose three artistic elements to illustrate the message..
SAMPLE ART ANALYSIS PAPER:
OPENER: Berlin 2000. I walk into a cathedral that was bombed in WWII. There is no roof, but the altar is still in place. Jagged stone walls of decaying rock catch my eye on the right. My eyes travel and light upon small candles burning to the left of the altar. "My god, " my friend says to me out of disbelief in the destruction of this ancient church. "That was what the church originally hoped you would say," I reply to him. It is easy to forget the human history behind ancient buildings or houses, but the half destroyed church made the humans who may been praying in the church as it was bombed flood into our minds. And it made us both think about God’s presence in the church, during war, and in the world. BRIDGE: In Salvador Dali's "Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s Angelus," he conveys that there is a human history behind historical dwellings by turning Millet's human figures into stone figures that blend both human qualities and home qualities. The tiny figures in the foreground are of a parent and child observing the blended human / housing figures; the parent is pointing out the figures and the hope is that the child will recall that their is a human history behind the old house. PLAN: By reviewing the realistic sky, surrealistic figures, and bizarre perspective in Salvador Dali's "Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s Angelus," (THESIS): the painting's message to the viewer to recall the human in the ancient becomes evident.
TOPIC SENTENCE (#31): In Dali's painting, two large stone looking figures on a flat background with an opening sky that reveals just enough light to illuminate the figures and connect the viewer to the human element in this seemingly humanless painting. LINK (#32): It is helpful to focus our attention on the warm, muted colors and how they focus viewers to the buildings. There are multiple small figures at the base of the larger structures entering the light that is coming through the clouded sky. Far off in the distance there are many shadows, but nothing that has an obvious shape. The muted tan colors on the ground and purple, blue and yellow colors of sunset in the sky in the background are very peaceful, and the mellow tone of the colors reminds me of a scene that has just rained but is now blowing over to reveal the sun. CONNECT (#39) The calm, dreamlike mood invites the viewer to recall that all seeming barren, ancient houses have a human element to them.
TRANSITIONAL TOPIC SENTENCE (#31): In addition to making the sky both bizarre and familiar, Salvador Dali’s painting also emphasizes the human element in the buildings and deemphasizes the human figures in the foreground. LINK (#32): It is revealing to notice how Dali violently juxtaposes the house and the human figure in the two giant stone figures and dwarfs the parent-child observers in the foreground. CONNECT (#39) This makes the human history in ancient houses gain prominence and deemphasizes the tiny, human observers.This painting is very dream like and develops dreamlike figures to create a sense of familiarity, but also that of mystery. The surrealist movement represented a large emphasis on a dreamlike work, but not completely abstract and unrecognizable; this painting takes the familiar and making it strange through a process of estrangement.
TRANSITIONAL TOPIC SENTENCE (#31): Beyond making the buildings themselves portray human figures, Dali is taking a different outlook onto Millet’s Angelus, a painting which has a similar silhouette to this painting. LINK (#32): We do well to pay attention to how Dali’s painting uses Millet's painting as a template to create a surreal and “out of this world” looking version by making the human figures of Millet's painting seem decayed and ruined. Dali is trying to take an original piece and turn it into something surreal; CONNECT (#39) he is showing a dream like state of this piece by using the large stone structures that resemble the same silhouettes of this work. In this transformation, buildings possess a human heart, mind, and soul. Dali forces the viewer to focus on the life in the inanimate.
TRANSITION TO THESIS (#57) The real depiction of a muted sunset and surreal images of the decaying stone figures are merged with the foreground figures and this conveys the human behind the historical. There are real sounds, scenery, and objects that you would expect to see in real life, but the figures and structures that Dali created bring convey the importance of contemporary observers to recall the human history behind ancient dwellings. WHY DOES TEXT MATTER (#58): Salvador Dali reminds us to see the past in the present. RETURN TO THE OPENER (#58): Like my observations of the bombed German church, seeing the human in the barren edifices of the past is key to valuing any building. Salvador Dali reminds us to see the past in the present.
FOURTH LESSON:
REVISE THIS ART ILLUSTRATION ANALYSIS FOR MISSING WRITING PRINCIPLES:
ART ILLUSTRATION ANALYSIS #2:
(Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482)
Details of Renaissance Paintings (1984) by Andy Warhol acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen
HOW CAN THIS INTRODUCTION BE IMPROVED FOR AN OPENER. BRIDGE, PLAN, AND THESIS?
A Modern Venus Andy Warhol’s piece titled Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482) represents the face of the goddess Venus. This piece was made in 1984 as a depiction of the face of Venus from the earlier painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli that was completed in 1482. The piece’s present location is the Arkansas Arts Center, and its original location is the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The piece is acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen, and it can only be seen from one side because it is hanging on the wall.
COLORS: The work is a colorful representation of the face of the goddess Venus as depicted earlier in The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. However, Warhol uses more colors in his work. Venus’s face and neck are pink while her hair is black, red, orange, and yellow. In contrast, the background is a solid light blue color. In the Renaissance painting, Venus’s face and hair are emphasized and the dominant elements are her hair because of the warm colors and her gaze. But Warhol's use of warmer colors makes Venus seem more bold and independent.
IMPLIED LINES: Warhol uses implied lines to direct viewers’ eyes around the artwork. The implied lines are the strands of Venus’s hair that direct viewers’ eyes to the right bottom, middle, and top because the strands are going in each of these directions. One bundle of hair goes down to the bottom of the piece on the left side close to her face. This bundle of hair brings some direction to the left side, but not a lot because the left side is mostly empty. However, this emptiness is balanced asymmetrically by Venus’s gaze toward the bottom left corner and the light color used in the empty space. The light color of the empty space is visually light; therefore, it does not have as much weight as the darker, warmer colors of Venus’s face and hair. This visual lightness along with Venus’ gaze is strong enough to balance the multitude of hair and part of a flowering tree on the right side.
LIGHT SOURCE: In this piece, the light source is not seen. However, the light source is to the left of the artwork because Warhol uses a light yellow color on top of the pink color that is already present on the left side of Venus’s face which makes it seem like a glow is cast upon her face. Warhol’s use of warm colors for Venus, her hair, and the tree in the top right corner contrasts with the light blue background. These warm colors make her stand out from the background. Also, the warm colors against a calming blue background give Venus an ethereal quality.
MOTION AND UNITY: Warhol’s use of colors and lines also creates unity and variety. His use of warm colors throughout the piece and his use of one solid-colored background create unity in the artwork. However, the contrast between warm colors and the cool color create variety. The tree in the top right corner also creates variety because it is not a part of Venus, who is the focus of the painting. The flower is the only other thing in the artwork besides Venus which makes the viewer question its purpose. The placement of Venus’s hair and the curves of her hair create a sense of motion. One bundle of her hair is at the bottom of the artwork. Another few bundles are in the middle and are slightly separated. Another bundle of hair is at the top of the artwork. All of these bundles are curvy to suggest movement as if her hair is being blown gently by the wind. Warhol’s use of colors gives Venus a modern look instead of the traditional white color used in The Birth of Venus that symbolized purity. The pink color used for her body makes Venus seem bold, intelligent, and strong, not just pure and beautiful, as a female goddess is supposed to appear. Warhol further shows this by only depicting her face down to her shoulders and not including her breasts and other sensual parts that are included in The Birth of Venus. Through his use of color, Warhol created a different symbol of boldness and strength for Venus instead of the traditional symbol of beauty. This boldness and strength coincides with the role of women in modern society because women today are taught that they can accomplish anything and everything while being independent.
HOW COULD YOU CONCLUDE THIS ART ILLUSTRATION PIECE?
WRITING EXERCISE #1:
Answer four prompts when analyzing a work of art (use the paintings below)
1) Describe what you see: color, line, texture, perspective: use four of five senses from your description
of place writing...
2) What message do you think that the artist is trying to convey?
3) Identify stylistic elements: composition, focus, movement, colors, textures, size,
brushwork, juxtaposition, space to convey meaning?
---Organize your short paragraphs around the stylistic elements and / or motifs /
details that support your interpretation of the painting.
4) Do you think that the artist is successful in conveying the message? Support this claim by
illustrating it with specific details.
WANDERER ABOVE THE SEAFOG (CASPAR FRIEDRICH)
THE MONK BY THE SEA (CASPAR FRIEDRICH)
PASSAGE AT ST. GOTTHARD (JMW TURNER)
Tintern Abbey: 1795
Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway: 1844
WILLIAM BLAKE: CREATION OF ADAM
Michaelangelo The Creation of Adam 1512
INVITATION TO WRITE #2:
PROMPT #2: Choose a painting from paintings below and
Answer four prompts when analyzing a work of art :
1) Describe what you see: color, line, texture, and size.
2) What message do you think that the artist is trying to convey?
3) How has the artist used stylistic elements: composition, colors, textures, size, space, to convey meaning?
4) Do you think that the artist is successful in conveying the message? Support this claim by illustrating it with specific
details.
Pablo Picasso Guernica
Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night
Van Gogh Wheatfield with Cypresses
Salvado Dali The Persistence of Memory
Charles Sheeler American Landscape
Claude Monet The Magpie
Clause Monet Sunrise
American Gothic 1930, Grant Wood
Winslow Homer The Fog Warning 1885
Winslow Homer Boy Fishing 1882
Edvard Munch 1893
Glossary of Art Term
Glossary of Art Terms
abstract/abstraction - Abstract means the modification of a (usually) natural form by simplification or distortion. Abstraction is the category of such modified images. (See also non-objective.)
alla prima - (pronounced ah-la pree-ma) - Italian term, meaning to paint on canvas or other ground directly, in full, opaque color, without any preliminary drawing or underpainting done first. (Underpainting is often done to establish the larger masses of the composition, or to establish tonal values (lights and darks)).
all-over space - A type of space in modern painting characterized by the distribution of forms equally "all over" the picture surface, as opposed to the traditional composing method of having a focal point, or center of interest. In "all-over" space, the forms are seen as occupying the same spatial depth, usually on the picture plane; also, they are seen as possessing the same degree of importance in the painting. (In traditional painting, the focal point (or center of interest) is meant to be the most significant part of the painting, both visually and subject-wise, for instance, a portrait; whereas with "all-over" space, there is no one center of interest visually or subject-wise.) The Action painter, Jackson Pollock, was the first to use all-over (also called infinite) space, in his famous "drip" paintings of the 1940's and '50's, and this spatial concept has influenced most two-dimensional art since that time.
assemblage - (pronounced as-sem-blidge) - A type of modern sculpture consisting of combining multiple objects or forms, often 'found' objects. (A found object is one that the artist comes upon and uses, as is or modified, in an artwork.) The most well known assemblages are those made by Robert Rauschenberg in the 1950's and '60's; for example, one assemblage consisted of a stuffed goat with an automobile tire encircling its stomach, mounted on a painted base. The objects are combined for their visual (sculptural) properties, as well as for their expressive properties.
atmospheric - A quality of two-dimensional images which has to do more with space than with volume; an 'airiness,.' seen more in contemporary than traditional images. Also refers to atmospheric perspective, which is a less technical type of perspective, using faded and lighter colors to denote far distance in landscapes.
atmospheric perspective - Atmospheric, or aerial, perspective, is a less technical type of perspective, which consists of a gradual decrease in intensity of local color, and less contrast of light and dark, as space recedes into the far distance in a landscape painting or drawing. Often, this far distance will also be represented by a light, cool, bluish-gray. (See also perspective.)
automatic (writing) - Automatic writing was a technique first used by the Dada and Surrealist artists in the early 20th century, to tap into their subconscious to write poetry (Freud's ideas on the subconscious had been introduced in the early part of the 20th century). They would try to connect with their subconscious to access a 'stream of consciousness,' or more 'free' type of poetry. Visual artists in these movements also tried to draw or paint "automatically," by allowing their subconscious to play a large part in the creative process. The Abstract Expressionists of the 1940's and '50's also used this method, for example, Jackson Pollock's "drip" paintings.
biomorphic - An attribute related to organic, since it describes images derived from biological or natural forms; it was a term frequently used in early- to mid-20th century art. The art of Miro, Arp and Calder contains examples of these simplified organic forms.
broken color - Broken color was first used by Manet and the Impressionists in 19th century French painting, where color was applied in small "dabs," as opposed to the traditional method of smoothly blending colors and values (lights and darks) together. This method results in more of a "patchwork" effect, where the dabs render the facets of light on forms, and/or the planes of the forms' volume, by means of color and value. Broken color has continued to be used in much modern and contemporary painting.
calligraphy/calligraphic - Calligraphy is beautiful personal handwriting, which has also been practiced in the Orient and Near East for many centuries. The term calligraphic is also applied to drawing or painting which contains brushstrokes reminiscent of calligraphy.
camera obscura - A system of lenses and mirrors developed from the 16th to the 17th centuries, which functioned as a primitive camera for artists. With the camera obscura, painters could project the scene in front of them onto their painting surface, as a preliminary drawing. Vermeer, among others, is thought to have used the camera obscura.
chiaroscuro - (pronounced kyar-oh-scoor-oh) - Italian term for light and dark, referring to the modeling of form by the use of light and shade.
collage - (pronounced col-laj) - French word for cut and pasted scraps of materials, such as paper, cardboard, chair caning, playing cards, etc., to a painting or drawing surface; sometimes also combined with painting or drawing.
color field painting - A style of painting begun in the 1950's to '70's, characterized by small or large abstracted areas of color. Mark Rothko is one of the earliest and best known color field painters; Morris Louis, Jules Olitski and Helen Frankenthaler are other examples.
complementary colors - Colors which are located opposite one another on the color wheel (e.g., red and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange); colors which when mixed together will (in color theory) produce a neutral color (a color which is neither warm nor cool). In the case of the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue), the complementary of one primary will be the mixture of the other two primaries (complementary of red will be a mixture of yellow and blue, or green). When placed next to one another, complementary colors will make one another appear much more intense, sometimes in an "eye-popping" sense, which was utilized by Op artists of the 1960's to create optical effects. Also in color theory, an object's primary color has its complementary color in its shadows (e.g., the shadows on and around a painted yellow apple will contain some purple).
composition - The process of arranging the forms of two- and three-dimensional visual art into a unified whole, by means of elements and principles of design, such as line, shape, color, balance, contrast, space, etc., for purposes of formal clarity and artistic expression.
conception/execution - Conception is the birth process of an artistic idea, from the initial creative impulse through aesthetic refinement, problem-solving, and visualization/realization. Execution is the second half of the creative process: the actual carrying out of the idea, in terms of method and materials, which often involves compromises and alterations of the initial conception. Artists often see the initial conception as the guiding force for their aesthetic decisions, in terms of formal elements of design, and in terms of the expressive content desired. Contemporary conceptual artists place more emphasis on the first part of the creative process; traditional artists are somewhat more concerned with the techniques and methods involved in producing the artwork. The painter Henri Matisse advised, in his essay On Painting, that artists should keep their initial impulse in the front of their minds when working on a painting, to make the best expressive and formal decisions.
conceptual - Pertaining to the process involved in the initial stages of art-making (i.e., the initial conception, or idea). Also, the name of a contemporary art movement which is mainly concerned with this process of conceiving of and developing the initial idea, as opposed to the carrying-out of the idea into concrete form. I think that conceptual artists also often think of the idea as the real work of art, rather than its concrete manifestation. It is possible for a conceptual art "piece" to not even be a tangible object - it may be an event or a process, which can't be seen itself, but the results of the event or process may be displayed, in text or photographs, for instance. Conceptual art tends to be created across artistic categories - for instance, mixing the mediums of photography, text, sound, sculpture, etc. My feeling about a lot of the conceptual work I have seen is that it tends to be an experiential art, rather than the traditional 'passive' experience of viewing art on a wall or a pedestal. Perhaps because our age and time demand a more interactive experience; or because art had by the late 20th century become a 'commodity,' to be bought and sold like any other commodity, and artists felt a need to avoid this commodification. Two examples come to mind: 1) Maya Lin's memorial to Vietnam veterans in Washington, DC. The traditional bronze statue of soldiers would not have been nearly as effective as a memorial to Vietnam veterans; as it is, it has become a powerful catharsis for Vietnam vets, and also for the two war-era factions - the hawks and the doves - those who protested the war in the 1960's, and those who supported the Vietnam war. 2) In the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, there is a large collection of shoes which belonged to Nazi concentration camp victims. Though this may not be officially a conceptual artwork, it has the characteristics of one, and perhaps was influenced by conceptual art. A photograph on the wall of such belongings would be an adequate representation of the horror of that time. But a huge pile of shoes in a room, to be walked through, to see the different types of shoes which resemble their former owners in personality and age, is to really experience the powerful emotions associated with such horror.
contemporary art - The term contemporary describes the most recent art, in this case as distinguished from modern art, which is generally considered to have lost its dominance in the mid-1950's.
content - As opposed to subject matter, content is the "meaning" of the artwork, e.g., in Moby Dick, the subject matter is a man versus a whale; the content is a complex system of symbols, metaphors, etc. describing man's existence and nature.
contour - The outer edge of forms which implies three dimensions, in contrast to an outline, which is a boundary of two-dimensional, flat form. Also, a type of line drawing which captures this three-dimensional outer edge, with its fullness and recession of form.
contrapposto - (pronounced con-tra-pos-to) - Italian term, meaning to represent freedom of movement within a figure, as in ancient Greek sculpture, the parts being in asymmetrical relationship to one another, usually where the hips and legs twist in one direction, and the chest and shoulders in another.
cool colors - In color theory, colors are described as either warm, cool, or neutral. A cool color generally is one which contains a large amount of blue, as opposed to a warm color, which will contain more yellow. In theory, cool colors seem to recede in space, as the distant mountains or hills tend to appear light bluish-gray, and the closer ones will be more green or brown (warmer). In landscape paintings, artists often paint the distant hills in this pale blue color; and it is generally thought that cool colors will recede into space in any painting. However, color is a complex element, and colors often misbehave - it is usually best to go on a case-by-case basis, because colors are influenced greatly by what colors they are next to, appearing "warm" in one setting, and "cool" in another. (I recommend reading the abbreviated version of The Interaction of Color, by Josef Albers, for his ideas and exercises.)
cross-hatching - The practice of overlapping parallel sets of lines in drawing to indicate lights and darks, or shading. (Hatching is one set of parallel lines, cross-hatching is one set going in one direction, with another overlapped set going in a different, often perpendicular, direction.)
diptych - Two separate paintings which are attached by hinges or other means, displayed as one artwork.
directional movement - A principle of visual movement in artworks, which can be carried by line, dots, marks, shapes, patterns, color, and other compositional elements. Directional movement in paintings or sculptures directs the viewer's eye around or through the artwork, in a way which the artist consciously or unconsciously determines. One important function is to keep the viewer's eye from "leaving" the work, and instead cause the viewer to follow an inventive (interesting) path within the work, or exit in one area, only to be brought back in another area.
drawing - Pencil, pen, ink, charcoal or other similar mediums on paper or other support, tending toward a linear quality rather than mass, and also with a tendency toward black-and-white, rather than color (one exception being pastel).
earthwork - A type of contemporary art begun in the 1960's and '70's, which uses the landscape, or environment, as its medium, either by using natural forms as the actual work of art, or by enhancing natural forms with manmade materials. Two well-known earthwork artists are the husband and wife team of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and Robert Smithson. Some of these earthworks can be very large, measured in miles. The origin of earth art may have been the environment-conscious '60's and '70's, but earthworks also refer back to ancient earthworks, such as the large Native American and other burial mounds. Christo' and Jeanne-Claude's work is various, usually temporary and site-specific, and ranges from "wrapping" an island or a building (such as the former German Reichstag headquarters), to erecting a very high "curtain" of fabric over miles of uninhabited (and inhabited) land. They work with an army of workers to erect these works, and also work with the surrounding community to get permission and establish guidelines of what they can and cannot do, during which meetings they explain their artistic purposes to community members, and often the residents evolve from their initial reluctance to give permission, to becoming enthusiastic supporters. It is a very interesting process to watch, and I think is another example of how some contemporary art tries to enlist the participation of the public in the art-making process, or at the very least to familiarize the public with artistic motivations. In Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work, I see a kind-of Quixotic whimsy - when they wrapped the former Reichstag headquarters building in Germany, it seemed to me to be a poetic expression of victory over the former Nazi Third Reich tyranny.
encaustic - The process of using pigments dissolved in hot wax as a medium for painting; mostly used long ago, but there are some contemporary artists who have used encaustic, such as Jasper Johns.
engraving - A general term used to describe traditional printing processes, such as etching, aquatint, drypoint, etc., where an image is made by the use of metal plates and engraving tools, and printed, usually through a printing press. The image can be incised into the plate, or drawn with fluid and then dipped in acid to etch the uncovered areas. These processes are still used by artists, but of course have been supplanted by more modern processes for general printing purposes.
expressionistic - A characteristic of some art, generally since the mid-19th century, leaning toward the expression of emotion over objective description. James Ensor, Edvard Munch and Vincent Van Gogh were perhaps the first expressionists, though there was not really a movement per se, but individual artists. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, expressionism became widely espoused, particularly by German and Austrian artists, such as Emil Nolde, Kirchner, Gustav Klimt, and others. Though there is variation, certain characteristics predominate: bright, even garish, color; harsh contrasts of black and white (as in woodcuts); exaggeration of form; and distortion or elongation of figures. There are still many artists whose work has expressionistic tendencies; in the 1980's there was a period of art called Neo-Expressionist. (The word 'neo' before an art label means that there is a reprise of work similar to the original movement.)
figurative - A term used to describe art which is based on the figure, usually in realistic or semi-realistic terms; also loosely used to describe an artist who paints or sculpts representationally, as opposed to painting or sculpting in an abstract or non-objective manner.
figure/ground - The relationship of the picture surface (ground) to the images on the picture surface (figure). The figure is the space occupied by forms (e.g., a person in a portrait) (also known as the 'positive' space); the ground is the "empty" or unoccupied space around the person in the portrait (also known as the 'negative' space) (The ground is also commonly called the 'background.') In art since the early 20th century, this division of the picture plane has been seriously challenged, to the point where there is not a distinction of figure/ground, but rather one continuous surface and space, with no 'positive' or 'negative' space, just one interwoven space.
focal point - In two-dimensional images, the center of interest visually and/or subject-wise; tends to be used more in traditional, representational art than in modern and contemporary art, where the picture surface tends to have more of an overall importance, rather than one important area.
foreshortening - Perspective applied to a single object in an image, for a three-dimensional effect, which often results in distortion with possible emotional overtones. It is used particularly with the human figure, in Renaissance and Mannerist art.
formal - A term used by artists to describe the visual elements of a work of art, such as composition, space, color, etc., i.e., formal elements.
found object - First used in the early years of the 20th century (in the Dadaist movement), a found object is any object that an artist comes upon, and uses in an artwork, or as the artwork itself. Marcel Duchamp called these works 'readymades.' He exhibited a urinal in the Society of Independent Artists exhibition in New York in 1917, under the signature 'R Mutt'; Dada was the precursor to Surrealism, and was an 'anti-art' movement after World War I, which sought to avoid order and rationality in art. Dada also questioned the very meaning of art: what is art? who decides if an object is art? is it art because an artist places it in a museum and calls it art? etc. Later, Picasso made a bull's head from found objects: the seat and handle bars of a bicycle.
fresco - Wall painting in water-based paint on moist plaster, mostly from the 14th to the 16th centuries; used mostly before the Renaissance produced oil paint as a more easily handled medium.
frottage - (pronounced fro-taj) - French term, meaning to rub a crayon or other tool onto paper or other material, which is placed onto a textured surface, in order to create the texture of that surface on the paper. The Surrealist artist Max Ernst used this technique in some of his collages.
genre - (pronounced jahn-re) - A type of painting representing scenes of everyday life for its own sake, popular from the 17th century to the 19th century.
gesso - An undercoating medium used on the canvas or other painting surface before painting, to prime the canvas; usually a white, chalky, thick liquid. In the mid-20th century, gesso became available already commercially prepared; before this time, artists often mixed their own gesso mixture.
gesture/gestural - The concept of gesture in drawing is twofold: it describes the action of a figure; and it embodies the intangible "essence" of a figure or object. The action line of a figure is often a graphic undulating line, which follows the movement of the entire body of the figure being drawn or painted. The term gestural is an extension of this idea to describe a type of painting which is characterized by brushstrokes with a gestural quality, that is, flowing, curved, undulating lines or forms. Gestural composition means a type of composition based on gestural directional movements. The work of Arshile Gorky, the Abstract Expressionist, is an example of gestural painting, which often connotes a spiritual or emotional content.
glaze/glazing - A glaze is a thin layer of translucent oil paint applied to all or part of a painting, to modify the tone or color underneath. Glazing is the process of using this technique.
golden section - A mathematical ratio first used by the Greeks in their architecture, and developed further in the Renaissance, which was said to be in tune with divine proportion and the harmony of the universe. It has been used by artists to divide the picture surface (as a compositional device); among others, Seurat and Mondrian are thought to have used this ratio to create compositions.
graphic/graphic arts - The graphic arts (drawing and engraving) are said to depend for their effect on drawing, as opposed to color. The term graphic describes drawings or prints which lean more toward drawing (line) than color (mass). I think that this division is less pertinent in modern and contemporary art than in traditional art or art of the past.
grid - A formal visual vehicle much in currency during 20th century art, the grid is a geometric construct of squares or rectangles that form the underlying or actual structure of some two-dimensional modern art. Though the meaning of the grid to artists is hard to describe in words, it is more than just a visual armature. In a way, it can be said to represent the modern and postmodern stance of the 20th century; and often seems to inspire almost a reverence, as a symbol of aesthetic purity and integrity, particularly of modernism. Many artists have used the grid; two who come to mind are Jasper Johns (paintings) and Louise Nevelson (sculpture).
grisaille - (pronounced gri-zale) - Painting entirely in monochrome (tones of one color), in a series of grays. Strictly speaking, monochrome is in any one color, such as red, blue or black; grisaille means in neutral grays only (French term). Grisaille may be used for its own sake as decoration, or may be the first stage in building up an oil painting (to establish the tonal range of the image). Grisaille was also formerly used as a model for an engraver to work from.
guild - During the Middle Ages, tradesmen formed guilds for economic, social and religious purposes; there were often several trades in one guild. Originally, painters were in the same guild as physicians and apothecaries (pharmacists), in Florence, Italy. All painters had to join the guilds, unless they were in the personal service of a ruling prince. Only a Master could set up a studio in business, take pupils and employ journeymen. To become a Master, a painter had to submit a 'master-piece' to the guild as proof of competence. Guild officers supervised the number of apprentices, work conditions, and also materials (they bought in bulk, chose panels to work on). They had a trade union mentality, which centered on uniformity of performance; this led to painters like Michelangelo and da Vinci insisting on the freedom and originality of the artist, with the status of a professional and scholar/gentleman (an inspired being, rather than an honest tradesman). This new attitude toward artists led to the decline of the guilds, and the use of academies, which took over the teaching of art.
hatching - A technique used in drawing to indicate light and shade, or form, consisting of parallel lines of varying width, darkness and spacing. Cross-hatching is simply two or more overlapping sets of these parallel sets of lines, at a perpendicular or other angle to the first set of lines.
hue - Referring to the actual color of a form or object, e.g., a red car.
iconography - Knowledge of the meanings to be attached to pictorial representations; perhaps the visual equivalent of symbols or metaphors in literature. An artist may be aware of his/her iconography and use it consciously; probably just as often, the iconography is used in a semi-conscious way. An artist will intuitively choose images because of meanings they have for him/her, and over the course of time a pattern can often be found, as a logical progression or repeating images. An artist can be said to have a personal iconography, which is often noted and analyzed by others, including art historians, critics, writers and the public. Often, the meanings seen in an artist's work by others differs, somewhat or considerably, from what the artist has intended.
ideal art - Art which aims to be the true, eternal reality. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this included some Neoclassical art, which emulated the forms and ideas found in classical art (Greece and Rome). In modern times, this could include artists such as Mondrian and Malevich, who considered pure abstraction to be the manifestation of this pure reality. Perhaps the theoretical opposite of ideal art is realism, which tries to depict things not as some ideal, but as they 'really' are.
impasto - An Italian term for oil paint applied very thickly onto the canvas or other support, resulting in evident brushstrokes (visible).
installation - A type of art, usually sculptural, which is often large enough to fill an entire space, such as a gallery, and consists of a number and variety of components. Installation art perhaps began in the 1960's with Ed Kienholz and George Segal, two American sculptors. Ed Kienholz' work contains such elements as cars and institutional furniture (suggesting a state hospital or prison), with the content being death and serious societal issues. Segal's work, in contrast, consists of lifesize plaster figures (cast from real people and usually white), engaged in contemporary and mundane activities, such as adding letters to a movie marquee or waiting for the subway, and often represent the poetry of the mundane. Installation art is often site-specific, meaning that it is created specifically for a certain site. There are many contemporary artists creating installations, such as Judy Pfaff.
linear - Describing a quality related to the use of line in painting or sculpture; can refer to directional movement in composition, or the actual use of the element of line in the image or sculpture, as contrasted with the use of mass or shape forms.
local color - The actual color of a form or object, uninfluenced by the effects of light or reflected color. For instance, a vase may be turquoise (the local color), but appear pale blue because of sunlight hitting it in certain places; dark blue because of areas in shadow; and many subtle color shades in certain areas because of reflected light from surrounding surfaces.
lyrical - A quality applied to various art forms (poetry, prose, visual art, dance and music), referring to a certain ethereal, musical, expressive, or poetic quality of artistic expression. Although difficult to define, when a visual work of art is described as having a lyrical quality, it means that it possesses a certain spiritual or emotional quality; perhaps the color relationships may be said to "sing"; or the linear quality of directional movement may be
of a sensitive and expressive nature; or the work expresses a particularly profound, passionate or tender sentiment, perhaps related to romanticism or other lofty expression.
mannerism/mannered - Mannerism was a style of art in 16th century Italy, characterized by somewhat distorted (usually human) forms and a high emotional key. Practitioners included the artist Pontormo. In modern and contemporary art, the term mannered when applied to a style or work of art is somewhat critical, implying that the style or work of art is done not from the inner convictions and perceptions of the artist, but rather out of the artist's historical artistic habits or preconceptions. In other words, the work appears contrived or forced, as opposed to arrived at by genuine and self-aware creative impulses.
mass/masses - Shapes or forms used in visual art, as contrasted with lines; also masses often form the large part(s) of the compositional structure, without the additional complexity of detail.
medium - Material or technique an artist works in; also, the (usually liquid or semi-liquid) vehicle in which pigments are carried or mixed (e.g., oil, egg yolk, water, refined linseed oil).
mobile - (pronounced mo-beel) - A type of kinetic sculpture (that which moves), invented and first used by the artist Alexander Calder. Trained as an engineer, Calder built many hanging mobiles with various attached forms, which moved and changed with air currents, etc. Many of them were very large, and hang in museum lobbies or auditoriums, from the ceiling. The forms which rotate and change their configurations are often of a biomorphic nature, similar to those used by Hans Arp and Juan Miro.
modeling - Three-dimensional effect created by the use of changes in color, the use of lights and darks, cross-hatching, etc.
modern art - Generally considered to be the period from about 1905-6 to the mid-1950's, when Pop art ushered in what is referred to as the postmodern period in art. Modern art is generally characterized by formal experimentation and exploration, and mostly seriousness of purpose. (Dada and Surrealism may be the exceptions to this rule.)
motif - (pronounced mo-teef) - A French term which refers to: the subject matter or content of a work of art (e.g., a landscape motif); also refers to a visual element used in a work of art, as in a recurring motif (i.e., Warhol used the motif of soup cans in his early works; or Mondrian used rectangles as a visual motif.
naturalism - A style of painting which uses an analysis of tone (value) and color of its subject, resulting in a representation of the appearance of forms or landscapes. Impressionism has naturalistic tendencies, because it analyzes tone and color in the play of light on surfaces. Naturalism can also have a sensual character (as against composition and drawing). The Impressionists were influenced by 19th century researches into the physics of color by Chevreul (a scientist) and others, which showed that an object casts a shadow which contains its complementary color (see complementary color). This theory eventually hardened into Neo-Impressionism, where Seurat and others sought the maximum optical truth about nature and the ideal composition and color relationships. This line of inquiry also led eventually to Post-Impressionism, where Gauguin and Van Gogh, among others, used color in a purely artistic and anti-naturalistic manner, which was non-intellectual. (Color used by Gauguin and Van Gogh is often deliberately independent of the local or light-influenced color of objects; and beyond that in the early 20th century, the Fauve painters used bright color and forms even more distant from their perceptual origins.)
negative space - In a painting or sculpture, the areas where there are no forms (the "empty" areas). In a painting, this means the areas which have no forms or objects (sometimes also called the 'background' ). In sculpture, this means the "holes" between forms or within a form (e.g., Henry Moore sculptures). Negative space is the other side of the coin of positive space, which is space actually occupied by forms in a painting or sculpture (the figure in a portrait). The notions of positive and negative space were advanced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, replacing the more traditional notion of a 'background' which was subordinate to and separate from the subject image - portrait, still life, etc. Since about 1950, the notions of positive and negative space have also been replaced by much contemporary art, which sees the picture surface not as positive and negative areas, but rather one continuous surface where every area is equally important, and at the same spatial depth. (See also positive space.)
neutral color - A color which in color theory is neither warm nor cool. Neutral colors are said to result from the combination of two complementary colors (e.g., red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple). Neutral colors can also be mixed by other means. (See also complementary colors, and warm and cool colors.)
non-objective - A term used to describe visual art which is not based on existing, observable forms, but rather on abstract or idealized forms, such as geometric, mathematical, imaginary, etc. Non-objective art came into existence in the early 20th century, often with much theoretical accompaniment. Mondrian is an example of an artist whose work is non-objective. (See also abstract.)
non-representational - Non-representational art is art which is not based on external appearances; this covers several types of art - abstract, non-objective, and decorative; as contrasted with representational art, which is art based on "real" imagery, whether actually existant or existant only in the artist's imagination.
one-point linear perspective - Developed in 15th century Italy, a mathematical system for indicating spatial distance in two-dimensional images, where lines converge in a single vanishing point located on the horizon line, as seen by a stationary viewer. (See also two-point linear perspective.)
organic - A description of images which are partly or wholly derived from natural forms, such as curvilinear, irregular, indicative of growth, biologically-based, etc.
painterly - An adjective used to describe a style of painting which is based not on linear or outline drawing, but rather patches or areas of color. In painterly two-dimensional images, the edges of forms tend to merge into one another, or into the background, rather than be separated by outlines or contours. Titian and Rembrandt are two artists with painterly approaches; Botticelli's work is not painterly, but more linear/drawing oriented.
palette - A thin piece of glass, wood or other material, or pad of paper, which is used to hold the paint to be used in painting; also, the range of colors used by a particular painter.
pastel - A drawing stick made of pigments ground with chalk and mixed with gum water; also, a drawing executed with these pastel sticks; also, a soft, subdued tint (light shade) of a color.
pentimenti - Italian term, from the word meaning 'repent'; refers to the lines or marks which remain after an artist corrects his/her drawing (or painting). Traditionally, this meant that these lines or marks remained unintentionally, in the quest for the perfectly drawn figure, for instance. However, at the end of the 19th century (with Cezanne), these marks became part of the visual expression; his figure drawings, for example, often show several contours in the search for the "correct" one contour. With Cezanne's drawings, these multiple contours in fact aid in the expression of three dimensions, more than one contour alone would do, giving a sense of roundness and volume. In addition, these pentimenti contribute in an expressive sense. In drawings and paintings since, some artists have taken advantage of this expressive function of pentimenti, particularly in painting, and have left the marks/lines deliberately, or even created them on purpose. They can add richness to a work.
photomontage - (pronounced photo-montaj) - A two-dimensional combining of photographs or parts of photographs into an image on paper or other material (a technique much used by the Surrealists in the 1920's, such as Max Ernst).
pictorial/picture surface - The flat plane of the canvas or other support, which is the two-dimensional arena of the image.
picture plane - The flat surface on which an image is painted, and that part of the image which is closest to the viewer. (In modern and contemporary art, the picture plane is synonymous with pictorial surface, meaning that the entire image is located on the picture plane, as contrasted with art from the Renaissance until the mid-19th century, where the picture surface was considered as a window into which the viewer looked into the illusion of distance.)
positive space - The areas of a painting or sculpture which are occupied by forms or images, as contrasted with negative space, which are the "empty" areas where no forms/images are located. For example, in a portrait, the figure would be the positive space, the "background" would be the negative space. In painting since around 1950, the differentiation between positive and negative space has given way to a sense of a continuous surface/space/plane, where all the forms are located on the picture surface, rather than on different planes in space. (See also negative space.)
postmodern - A term used to describe the period of art which followed the modern period, i.e., from the 1950's until recently. The term implies a shift away from the formal rigors of the modernists, toward the less formally and emotionally stringent Pop artists, and other art movements which followed.
printmaking - The category of fine art printing processes, including etching, lithography, woodcut, and silkscreen, in which multiple images are made from the same metal plate, heavy stone, wood or linoleum block, or silkscreen, with black-and-white or color printing inks.
proportion - The relation of one part to the whole, or to other parts (for example, of the human body). For example, the human body is approximately 7 to 7-1/2 times the height of the head; the vertical halfway point of the body is the groin; the legs are halved at the knees, etc. Proportion also refers to the relative sizes of the visual elements in a composition, and their optimum relationships for good design.
realism - Representational painting which, unlike ideal art, desires to depict forms and images as they really are, without idealizing them. Courbet was one of the first realists, in opposition to the previous reigning Neoclassical art in France; 19th century realist artists wanted to depict life "as it is," warts and all.
representational art - Art which is based on images which can be found in the objective world, or at least in the artist's imagination; i.e., images which can perhaps be named or recognized. For instance, an objectively faithful depiction of a person is representational art; also, a depiction of an alien from outer space can also be considered a representational image. (See also non-representational.)
rubbing - A product of rubbing a crayon or other tool onto paper or other material over a textured surface, in order to reproduce that texture into a two-dimensional image. For example, a rubbing of a gravestone, a penny, etc. (See also frottage.)
scumbling - A painting technique (the opposite of glazing), consisting of putting a layer of opaque oil paint over another layer of a different color or tone, so that the lower layer is not completely obliterated, giving an uneven, broken effect.
shade - A dark value of a color, i.e., a dark blue; as opposed to a tint, which is a lighter shade of a color, i.e., light blue. Also, to shade a drawing means to add the lights and darks, usually to add a three-dimensional effect.
sfumato - (pronounced sfu-ma-to) - Italian term meaning smoke, describing a very delicate gradation of light and shade in the modeling of figures; often ascribed to da Vinci's work (also called blending). Da Vinci wrote that 'light and shade should blend without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke', in his Notes on Painting.
sgraffito - (pronounced sgraf-ee-to) - Italian term meaning scratched; in painting, one color is laid over another, and scratched in (with the other end of the brush, for example) so that the color underneath shows through.
shaped canvas - A type of painting/stretched canvas first begun in the 1960's, where the canvas takes other forms than the traditional rectangle. Canvas is stretched over multiple three-dimensional shapes, which are combined to form a three-dimensional, irregularly shaped canvas on which to paint (often abstract or non-objective) images.
spatial cues - Methods of indicating three-dimensional space in two-dimensional images. Examples are: the modeling of forms with light and shade to indicate volume; overlapping of forms to indicate relative spatial position; decrease in the size of images as they recede in space; vertical position in the image (the further away an object is, the higher it is normally located in the image); the use of increased contrast of light and dark (value) in the foreground; the decreasing intensity of colors as they recede in space; the use of a perspective system, of lines converging toward the horizon line. Spatial cues are used also in abstract or non-objective art to indicate relative position in relation to the picture plane, by means of overlapping forms, color and size relationships, and other spatial cues, but generally without perspective and other indications of Renaissance (illusional) space.
stabile - (pronounced stah-beel) - A type of 20th century sculpture which consists of a stationary object, usually on a base of some kind. Described in contrast to a mobile, the free-hanging sculptural invention of sculptor Alexander Calder, stabiles were also created by Calder.
stained canvas - A method of painting first begun in the 1960's, consisting of the application of (liquid) paint directly to canvas by pouring or rolling, rather than with the traditional brush, and without the prerequisite layer of priming normally done to stretched canvas. Helen Frankenthaler is one example of an artist who worked with stained canvas. This way of applying paint gives a totally different image than one brushed on - obviously a more fluid image, with translucent fields of color - perhaps like the aurora borealis - an effect impossible with traditional brushes.
stippling - A drawing technique consisting of many small dots or flecks to construct the image; obviously, this technique can be very laborious, so generally small images are stippled. The spacing and darkness of the dots are varied, to indicate three dimensions of an object, and light and shadow; can be a very effective and interesting technique, which can also be used in painting.
study - A preliminary drawing for a painting; also, a work done just to "study" nature in general.
subject matter - As opposed to content, the subject matter is the subject of the artwork, e.g., still life. The theme of Vanitas (popular a few centuries ago) of vanity, death, universal fate, etc., used in the still life, can be considered the content. The still life objects used in the image are the subject matter. (See also content.)
tint - A light value of a color, i.e., a light red; as opposed to a shade, which is a dark value, i.e., dark red.
tone - The lightness or darkness of an area in terms of black to white; also called value, i.e., a light or dark red, or light or dark gray.
two-point linear perspective - A more recent version of perspective than one-point perspective; using two (or more) points instead of one on the horizon line gave artists a more naturalistic representation of space in two-dimensional images.
triptych - A painting which consists of one center panel, with two paintings attached on either side by means of hinges or other means, as "wings."
underpainting - A layer of color or tone applied to the painting surface before the painting itself is begun, to establish the general compositional masses, the lights and darks (values) in the composition, or as a color to affect/mix with subsequent layers of color. Underpainting is generally a thin, semi-opaque layer of paint.
value - The lightness or darkness of a line, shape or area in terms of black to white; also called tone; e.g., a light red will have a light value; a dark red will have a dark value.
volumetric - A quality of two-dimensional images characterized by a sense of three dimensions, solidity, volume, as contrasted with atmospheric, which is characterized more by a sense of space, or airiness, than with volume. Volumetric is generally more characteristic of representational or traditional art, than with modern or contemporary art, which is generally less concerned with the depiction of three dimensions in objects and space.
warm colors - In color theory, colors which contain a large amount of yellow, as opposed to cool colors, which contain more blue. For example, a yellow-orange color would be warm; a greenish-blue would be cool. Warm colors are thought to appear to be closer to the viewer, while cool colors are thought to recede into the distance. (See also cool colors.)
wash - A thin layer of translucent (or transparent) paint or ink, particularly in watercolor; also used occasionally in oil painting.
perspective - A semi-mathematical technique for representing spatial relationships and three-dimensional objects on a flat surface. (See also atmospheric perspective, one-point linear perspective, and two-point linear perspective.)
(http://www.ndoylefineart.com/glossary.html July 20, 2016)
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PROMPT #3: ROMANTIC ART: Choose a painting from the web sites below and develop how its artistic elements convey a message about Romanticism:
Answer four prompts when analyzing a work of art :
1) Describe what you see: color, line, texture, and size.
2) What message do you think that the artist is trying to convey?
3) How has the artist used stylistic elements: composition, colors, textures, size, space, to convey meaning?
4) Do you think that the artist is successful in conveying the message? Support this claim by illustrating it with specific
details.
Sample Romantic Paintings:
WANDERER ABOVE THE SEAFOG (CASPAR FRIEDRICH)
THE MONK BY THE SEA (CASPAR FRIEDRICH)
PASSAGE AT ST. GOTTHARD (JMW TURNER)