Art and Activism

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (We Dont Need Another Hero), (1986). Photographic silkscreen/vinyl. 277 x 533 cm.

Visual Art learning process

Here you can observe the cycle we follow in Art 2. We always start with an investigation into the theme, media and artists who make work within that theme/media.

You can see that each part of the cycle has a specific weight towards your final mark for the trimester.

Investigation

Investigation Rubric

Art and Subversion Investigation rubric

WHAT IS SUBVERSIVE ART?

What is Subversive Art?

Looking at Subversion through the work of Barbara Kruger

Tug of War - A routine for exploring the complexity of fairness dilemmas

Ai Weiwei ChineseCoca Cola Vase2011 signed on underside of Han dynasty vase with acrylic

John HolcroftBritishUntitled2010Digital print

Tamsin Van Essen BritishMedical Heirlooms2007Ceramic

Jacob LawrenceAmericanThe migration series1940Tempera paint

BIG QUESTION # 1

What role does art play in our society? What value is placed upon artists and their art, and why?

Tapping in (Art and Subversion)

Exploring questions

What does it mean to be subversive?
Functions of art

Exploring evidence (art and subversion)

Exploring Subversive artists

Figures of expression
Political artists

The surprisingly radical politics of Dr SeussOn the 115th anniversary of Dr Seuss’ birth, Fiona Macdonald looks at how creating wartime propaganda honed his unique vision.

Virgin of the Rocks: A subversive message hidden by Da VinciA palm tree in an Alpine scene prompts Kelly Grovier to follow a trail of clues that unlock a 15th-Century mystery.

BIG QUESTION # 2

Based on your research, what tips did you learn can help a visual artist effectively create visual agency in their activist/protest/subversive artwork?

Activism through art

Designing for Change: The Role of Protest Art in Social MovementsSocial movements use protest art to make change happen. See how hand-drawn posters to large-scale installments play a role in today's protests.

Conversation Starter: What role does art play in protest? — Art21Art21 is a celebrated global leader in presenting thought-provoking and sophisticated content about contemporary art, and the go-to place to learn first-hand from the artists of our time. A nonprofit organization, Art21’s mission is to inspire a more creative world through the works and words of contemporary artists. Art21 produces the Peabody Award-winning PBS-broadcast series,

The Art of a Movement: Protest Art | Artland MagazineProtest art. Explore just a few examples of how artists have acted as activists, and see how they have contributed awareness of their causes.

Creating Change: Art as Activism with Ami Vega

The Stream - Art + activism on Al Jazeera

5 Steps to Make Your Own Political Art

KQED Art School

Performance and Protest: Can Art Change Society? | How Art Became Active | Ep. 5 of 5 | TateShots

Widewalls

Greatest Protest Art Examples - From Picasso To Banksy

Culture Hog

Protest art both historic and contemporary

Frieze

How Important is Art as a Form of Protest?

The Guardian

The 10 most subversive women artists in history

The Guardian

You can stick it: protest posters in the age of Trump – in pictures

Art + Activism with Sanaz Mazinani

Not Just Tuna: Turning art into activism

Art as Activism: Kate DeCiccio

How to do visual (formal) analysis in art history response

In class activity

Formal Analysis

Formal analysis is the explanation of the visual structure or the ways in which certain visual elements have been arranged and function within a composition.

ScaleValueComposition How Goya creates a focal point (dominance)How Goya creates spaceMedium choice (oil paint)We will start class with your thoughts on this artwork.

Art and Subversion (formal qualities)

This artwork has too much harmony

Harmony

Is the similarity of elements to create a sense of cohesion amongst otherwise separate parts. Artists use it to create a sense of calm and pleasing interactions.

Achieved by:

Repetition
Rhythm
Pattern
Symmetrical, radial and approximate balance

Examples:

A set of colors that relate according to a specific scheme creates harmony.
A uniform texture of brush strokes across the surface of a canvas creates harmony.
A composition that incorporates only curvy shapes creates harmony.

When an artwork uses too much harmony, the artwork can feel boring or monotonous (dull) static or unemotional.

How Do You Achieve Harmony in Art?Have you ever looked at a painting and just sighed with pleasure? Everything fits. Everything makes sense. That's the power of harmony in art. And painting harmony is easy to do if you know what to look for and how to manipulate your colors, shapes, and forms.

Balance of harmony and variety

Visual unity

A balance of harmony and variety. It's the impression or feeling of oneness and completeness an artwork can have.

Achieved by:

Effective (eye) movement
Dominance
Hierarchy

This artwork has too much variety

Variety

When an artist places different visual elements next to one another, he/she is using variety. Artists use it to create interest, energy and emotion.

Achieved by:

Juxtaposition
Contrast
Distortion
Relation of the scale or proportion of objects in the artwork
Asymmetrical balance

Examples:

Inconsistent scale or light (value)
A combination of both curvy and geometric shapes.
Straight lines next to curvy lines add variety.

When an artwork uses too much variety, the viewer can't tell what the focal point or purpose of the piece might be. The work might look too chaotic , pointless or incomprehensible.

How to Create Dynamic CompositionsOne simple tip for how to make your designs, photos, and illustrations better.

Review of Elements of Art

elements of art packet.pdf

Review of Principles of Design

priniciples of design.pdf

Element of Art key vocabulary
LINE: weight, direction, character, mood, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, dot, curveSHAPE: 2D (length/width), organic vs. geometric, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, circleFORM: 3D (length/width/depth), organic vs. geometric, cube, pyramid, rectangular prism, cylinder, impliedVALUE: Value pattern, highlight, core shadow, cast shadow, gradient, low contrast, high contrast, natural or artificial light sourceTEXTURE: Actual vs. implied, surface qualitySPACE: Overlapping, size change, atmospheric perspective, positive and negative space, site specific, shallow vs. deep vs. infinite space, illusion of depthCOLOR: Primary, secondary, intermediate (tertiary), temperature, tint, shade ,tone, color schemes: monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triad, tetrad, split-complementary, achromatic

Art 2 Subversive Artists

Summative task

Through the following 4 ways of exploring art, analyze one subversive artwork of your choice. Make sure that you select an artist that might personally inspire the artwork you develop for class. Once you know which artist and artwork you will focus on, record the data on the google sheets provided. Select an artist that hasn't already been selected.

Using Google slides, create 4 slides that demonstrate your thinking, research, analysis for your selected piece of art. Each slide will represent one of the four ways of analyzing art below.

A Personal Approach: YOURSELF- YOUR WORLD- YOUR EXPERIENCE
Looking at the Subject: CONTENT - FUNCTION - ICONOGRAPHY - MESSAGE - TITLE - GENRE - FIGURE OF EXPRESSION
Looking at the Object: ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES - COMPOSITION (formal qualities)
Looking at the Context- relating the work to the wider world: WHEN- WHERE WHO- HISTORY- OTHER ARTS- OTHER FIELDS OF KNOWLEDGE- THE PRESENT- INTERPRETATION- ENVIRONMENT

Glossary

Parody: A work in which the style of another work, its subject, or author is closely imitated for comic effect or ridicule. Parody is a frequent ingredient in satire and is often used in social or political commentary

Works Cited
Bromwich, Kathryn. "You Can Stick It: Protest Posters In The Age Of Trump – In Pictures". The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2018/mar/03/you-can-stick-it-protest-posters-in-the-age-of-trump-in-pictures. Accessed 30 Aug 2018."Greatest Protest Art Examples - From Picasso To Banksy". Widewalls, 2018, https://www.widewalls.ch/protest-art/. Accessed 30 Aug 2018."How Important Is Art As A Form Of Protest?". Frieze.Com, 2018, https://frieze.com/article/how-important-art-form-protest. Accessed 30 Aug 2018.Jones, Jonathan. "The 10 Most Subversive Women Artists In History". The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/jan/13/10-most-subversive-women-artists. Accessed 30 Aug 2018.S, Hayley. "Protest Art Both Historic And Contemporary | Culture Hog". Culture Hog, 2018, https://culturehog.com/protest-art/. Accessed 30 Aug 2018.

Extra activities

Peel the fruit

In your group, investigate the subversive artwork you have chosen. You will present your findings as a peel the fruit (follow template) class on Monday afternoon. Your goal is to articulate a response to the following 3 questions using your investigation as supporting evidence:
1. What makes this artwork subversive?2. How did the artist's use and choice of materials impact the subversive nature of the piece?3. How does the context of the artwork influence how the artwork is understood?

peeling_the_fruit_template.pdf

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