#1 Intro to Art History I

You're probably familiar with this famous painting: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. But what do you really know about it?

· Do you know the date that it was painted?

· What is its "other" name?

· What techniques did Leonardo use to create his masterpiece?

· Why did he create this particular work of art?

You probably don't know the answers to those questions — yet. However, by taking this course you will learn those answers and many more. You will discover the important role that art has played since before the dawn of civilization. You will learn about your ancestors through the art they created, and you will learn about your own culture by studying art history.

OBJECTIVES

§ Explain how art history is similar to other disciplines.

§ Identify three approaches that art historians use to analyze art.

§ Discuss the types of questions that art historians ask.

§ Discuss iconography as a series of symbols.

§ Explain some of the terms and techniques used by artists in their work.

VOCABULARY

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." — Michelangelo

DEFINING ART

It's likely that the study of art is not new to you. You have probably taken one or two (or maybe many more) art classes over the course of your schooling. In those classes you might have learned about color and composition in painting, shading in drawing, or shape and texture in clay. Perhaps you've even learned how to make prints and collages. In addition, you may have been to a museum or an art gallery, either on a field trip or on your own. Whatever your experiences, you've probably developed your own ideas about art.

But actually defining "art" can be more challenging. Take a moment to write down your definition of art. You may also discuss any particular works of art that you have found memorable. In looking at your list, do you find that you prefer one kind of art to another?

While there are many different definitions of art, for the purposes of this course, we will agree that art is:

visual — can be seen
tangible — can be touched
manufactured — is consciously made for some purpose

Although art itself is ancient, the study of art history is relatively new. Historically, people studied aesthetics, which concerned itself with defining and identifying beauty. But people of different time periods, from different places, and from different social classes have differing ideas of beauty. Today's art historian is not as concerned with evaluating a piece in terms of its beauty. Instead, the contemporary art historian looks at art works and art movements in terms of what they say about the people who created, used, and admired them. Art historians also look at the progression of art through the ages, examining how one period affects another or how art changes the society around it.

ANALYZING ART

In art history, you will learn to look at and analyze individual works of art and to group them with other works of art when appropriate. You will also look at the broader historical picture and develop an understanding of what historical forces shaped the art and artist.

In some ways, art historians are detectives. They approach each work of art and each epoch of art history with questions that they seek to answer. Then they analyze all the information they can gather and come to conclusions or develop theories about the work or time period. For example, here are some of the questions that art historians ask when they are doing their detective work:

When was the work created?
How did the artist come to create the work?
What is the subject?
Was there a patron who commissioned the work?
Who were the artist's teachers?
Who was the audience?
Who did the artist influence?
Was the artist's oeuvre shaped by historical events or artistic movements?
What effect, if any, did the work have on artistic, political, and social events?

These questions may vary with the time period and with the types of work, but in general, art historians will take one or more of the following approaches:

Addressing formal issues: By formal, we mean the individual design elements of the work of art or the "forms" in the work. When making a formal analysis, the art historian will seek to understand how the artist arranges and uses the following elements:

composition
color
line
texture
scale or size
proportion
balance
contrast

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso, one of the world's most renowned artists

Notes:

Look up the painting Three Musicians by artist Pablo Picasso on the Internet. Then answer the following questions in your notes.

Does the artist fill up most of the canvas or leave large portions empty?
Are the shapes sharp or rounded?
Are the lines bold or understated?
Are the right and left halves of the painting balanced? Or are there more figures on one side?
Are the top and the bottom of the painting balanced?
What are the predominant colors?
Is there a contrast between dark and light?
What aspects of the painting stand out?

By answering these questions, you've examined some of the formal elements of a painting. A complete formal analysis would also entail a description, explanation, and interpretation of why the artist chose to use the elements in the manner that he did.

COLOR, STYLE, AND ICONOGRAPHY

Do you know why we see color? Color begins with light. Natural light contains the visible spectrum of colors. Paint pigments produce individual colors by reflecting a segment of the spectrum while absorbing the rest. Yellow pigment absorbs (or subtracts) all the light in the spectrum except that which we see as yellow.

Style

As you study the history of art, you will see that different styles can be identified with different times and places — for example, Early Greek, Renaissance, or Abstract Expressionism. Two different artists may paint the same subject, but their work will look completely different because of the style they paint in. When an art historian analyzes the style of a piece, he or she will try to identify:

the period the style is from;
the region;
the elements of the style that belong to an individual artist; and
the qualities of the work that do not fit into a particular category.

As you learn about different styles, you will also learn about the movements or trends in art as well as the historical factors that may have influenced the development of those styles; one style often develops as a reaction against a previous style, for example.

Iconography

You know an "icon" as a symbol on your computer desktop. Studying iconography means studying the objects, gestures, or colors in a painting (generally from before the Modern period) and then answering one or all of the following questions:

What does that element symbolize?
What associations might those who view the painting make between that element and the symbolism?
How is this depiction of the element unique?

By investigating the iconography of a work of art, you may be able to discover the social, cultural, economic, and/or aesthetic values of the society for which the object was created.

Closely related to iconography is the concept of personification. For instance, Father Time is often depicted as an old man carrying a clock or hourglass while the concept of liberty is sometimes portrayed as a robed woman carrying a torch.

Use a reliable source and look up the definition of "iconography" on the Internet.

TERMS AND TECHNIQUES AND LINES

To understand a work of art, you need to know a few things. Today, we have a multitude of means for creating art, from watercolors you can buy in a drugstore to paint programs on your computer. But historically, artists have not always had such a wide range of choices; so their use of materials and tools is something that art historians examine. Materials include pigments, clay, stone, marble, metals, canvas, papyrus, and many other components. Tools may be pieces of flint, brushes, chisels, pens, charcoal, and so on. Materials and tools that an artist uses are a conscious choice and are important factors when analyzing a work of art.

Raphael's painting School of Athens

In our discussion of formal qualities, we mentioned the concept of the "line." As illustrated in the slideshow, a line is a mark between two points on a flat surface. A line may be thin or thick, jagged, or swirling.

Lines

When a continuous line defines an object's outer shape, we call it an outline. Search for Look Mickey 1961 by Roy Lichtenstein on the Internet. As you examine this work, take note of the lines that describe the outer edge of each of the figures.

A perceived line that describes three-dimensional form is called a contour line. Do you recall Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa from the beginning of this lesson? It makes use of contour lines to express the three-dimensional appearance of the subject.

Lines may also be used to create perspective. Perspective gives a realistic quality to art by making a flat surface appear to have depth. One method for creating perspective is the convergence of diagonal lines, which makes it appear as if the lines are moving away from the viewer.

Examine Raphael's painting School of Athens, above.

Notes

Make notes about other techniques the painter employs to create a sense of depth

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you have covered the following concepts:

The study of art history is the study of art as it has been expressed throughout human history. It is a broad field of study that encompasses looking at how art is produced, why, for whom and when.
Art historians may use several approaches in their work, including looking at formal elements, looking at stylistic elements, and/or studying iconography.
Art historians also look at techniques that artists employ, such as line and shading to create perspective or proportion for a specific effect.
Studying art history helps students to develop their critical thinking skills and powers of observation, analysis, and interpretation.

Take this quiz before moving to the next lesson

#1 Intro to Art History

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