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Art 1/Artist Spotlights

You will be introduced to selected works of art and artists as they relate to the curriculum. In your sketchbook:
1. Complete a thumbnail sketch of the work 
2. Document the #, heading, and credit line 
3. Review all provided resources - take notes 
4. Answer the questions completely and with specificity; complete sentences should reveal the question (write legibly or type/print)

​Entries started in class must be completed as homework by the same day/next week ​

MORE ART HISTORY!

#7 Doryphoros (Spear Bearer)

11/20/2017

 
Picture

Roman copy of the bronze original by Polykleitos 
ca. 450 - 440 BCE
6’ 11” high























​
READ/TAKE NOTES: The Canon of Polykleitos
READ/TAKE NOTES: Roman Copies of Ancient Greek Art

​WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW/TAKE NOTES: 

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
  1. Why was bronze used for the original sculpture (of which this example is a copy)? What is problematic about this material and why is it lucky that the Romans were so enamored of Greek art?
  2. What is a "canon"? How is the canon of Polykleitos different from the canon used in ancient Egypt?
  3. Polykleitos is also known as a foremost "aesthetician." His ideas about beauty aligned with the philosophy that beauty = _____________________.
  • a) the harmony of mathematical proportions
  • b) the heroic figures of Greek mythology
  • c) the moral character of an individual
  • ​d) the muscular bodies of Olympic athletes

#6 Kritios Boy

11/6/2017

 
Picture
from the Acropolis
Athens, Greece
c. 480 BCE
Marble, approx. 3’ 10” high. 
Acropolis Museum, Athens.


NOTE: While it's important that you know the general time periods and countries of origin for each presented Artist Spotlight, this is the only one for which you need to know the exact date. It's just that important.




















Click on both links below and read carefully/take notes:
KRITIOS BOY
CONTRAPPOSTO (this is a download)

We will be watching a video clip from "How Art Made the World," in order to understand the importance of this sculpture and what is yet to come.

Watch this video on your own:

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
​
1. This sculpture represents a "transitional" style of Greek sculpture. What is the name of this specific style/time period in Greek history  (not Late Archaic) AND which two periods does it bridge?
2. Explain "contrapposto": 1) What does the term mean, literally 2) How does it show itself in the Kritios Boy, and 3) Why is it so important?
3. Compare and contrast Kritios Boy to the statues that would come later in the Middle Ages. 
CURIOUS? Here's more information:
and...look at Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2" to see how MOVEMENT can be shown in a painting! 

#5 Kouros

10/20/2017

 
Picture

Greece
ca. 530 BCE
Marble
approx. 6’ 4” high. 
National Archaeological Museum, Athens














​





WATCH THESE 2 VIDEOS - take notes from each:
READ MORE HERE - and take some more notes!

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
​
  1. During which period of Greek history was this Kouros sculpture made? ​
  2. Define: 1) in-the-round, 2) relief, 3) symbolic, 4) naturalistic, 5) stylized, 6) abstract, 7) kouros, 8) kore
  3. Explain some similarities and differences between the kouros sculptures and those preceding them - Paleolithic, Egyptian, and Cycladic.
CURIOUS? Here's more information:

The female counterpart to the Kouros is the Kore. Remember, all these statues were originally painted with bright colors.  Here, you can paint your own Peplos Kore. If you have a color printer, you can complete one, print it out and include it in your sketchbook!

#4 Cycladic Figurine of a Woman

10/13/2017

 
Picture
Greek (Cycladic) 2400 BC
Marble
14.75 x 4.25 x 1.5 in.
(37.47 cm. x 10.80 cm.)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
(GO SEE THIS IN PERSON!)






















READ AND VIEW THE INFORMATION PRESENTED BELOW (take notes from each source):

"Figurines of this type, from the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, have been found almost exclusively in tombs. Although it was first believed that these so-called "idols" represent deities, they probably should be interpreted more broadly as representations of "femaleness." The geometric shapes, the position of the arms across the abdomen, and the close-set legs with dangling feet are distinctive and may appear strikingly modern to the viewer today. This example represents the high point of Cycladic figurine carving, when the form had become extremely elegant."   (From http://art.thewalters.org/detail/31097/cycladic-female-figurine/:)

  • The Human Form in Cycladic Art

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
  1. Explain the physical similarities and differences between this sculpture and the Woman of Willendorf.
  2. What are some of the possible reasons that these sculptures were created?
  3. What differences exist between the male and female versions of Cycladic sculptures?
CURIOUS? Here's some more information:

#3 Menkaura and Queen

10/12/2017

 
Picture
Egyptian
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Menkaura
2490–2472 B.C.
Greywacke, with traces of red and black paint
Height: 54 1/2"
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston











​








Read about this sculpture from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts website - take notes (please identify which notes are from class and which are from homework readings)

We will watch the full video in class but below is clip, which explains the Egyptian convention of composite - or twisted -  perspective:

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
​
  1. List 3 - 5 adjectives that describe these figures and the qualities they exude - their personalities, stance, overall appearance, etc.
  2. a) Does Menkaura's stance seem natural? b) How would you feel if you stood in this position for an extended amount of time? Explain.
  3. a)  In addition to what the stance portrays, what is meant to be depicted by "the gaze" of these figures? b) Does this seem to be in line with the adjectives that you listed for question #1? Explain.

#2 Hall of the Bulls

9/22/2017

 
Picture

ca. 15,000 BCE
Lascaux, Dordogne, France
Paint on limestone
Largest bull approx. 12' long.

1. READ THIS ARTICLE 

2. VISIT THE CAVE - EXPLORE!

3. WATCH THIS VIDEO :

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
​

1. What materials and processes were used to make these images?
2. What is another term for "composite view?" What does this type of perspective intend to communicate?
3. What are some possible reasons for the creation of these images?  What are your thoughts about these prehistoric people and their possible reasons for making art?

CURIOUS? Here's more information:
  • Newly discovered Cave paintings change ideas about the origin of art (article includes a video)
  • Here's another video:

#1 Woman of Willendorf

9/15/2017

 
Picture
c. 28,000 - 25,000 BCE 
from Willendorf, Austria 
Limestone 
approx. 41/4” tall
Naturhistorisches Museum
​Vienna, Austria

















(NOTE: This sculpture was originally the "Venus" of Willendorf and you will still see that title used frequently. The term, "Venus," the Roman goddess of love, refers generically to nude female figures. Since Venus came into mythological existence far later in history than this sculpture, it is fairly inaccurate to use this term and so contemporary art historians no longer do) 

The Woman of Willendorf is one of the earliest images of the body made by humankind. It stands just over 4 inches tall and was carved approximately 25,000 years ago. It was discovered on the banks of the Danube River, in Austria, and it was most likely made by hunter-gatherers who lived in the area. The environment at that time was much colder and bleaker then present-day, a remnant of Europe's last ice age.

Why were prehistoric humans stimulated by an exaggerated image such as this? The answer, according to neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran and others, lies in the workings of the human brain, in a neurological principle known as the "peak shift."

The people who made this statue lived in a harsh environment where features of fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable. In neurological terms, these features amounted to hyper-normal stimuli that activate neuron responses in the brain. So in Paleolithic-people-terms, the parts that mattered most had to do with successful reproduction. Therefore, these parts were isolated and amplified by the artist's brain. 

Many such "Venus" figures have been found in a wide variety of locations. Even when separated by great distances, these sculptures look eerily similar...think about it....that's pretty fascinating.

adapted from: http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/human/venus/

Watch this video
AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
  1. Explain your initial reaction/thoughts about this early work of art.
  2. This sculpture is displayed in a natural history museum, not an art museum. If you are learning about her in art class, shouldn't she be in an "art" museum? Explain your answer.
  3. Do you think your initial reaction/thoughts about this sculpture would have differed if you knew what you now know about it - its history, and possible context? Why or why not?

#16 Mark Rothko (1903 - 1970)

5/8/2017

 
Picture
Untitled (1968), Synthetic polymer paint on paper, 17 7/8 x 23 7/8" (45.4 x 60.8 cm), Museum of Modern Art, © 2016 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 
Look at more of his work here: http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/5047?locale=en

WATCH BOTH VIDEOS to be able to answer the questions below:
AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, previous Artist Spotlight information, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:

1. What/who were some of Rothko's inspirations?
2. What is the content of Rothko's work?
​3. Art has served many different purposes over the course of history. First, list at least three of those reasons as mentioned in the videos. Then, explain the purpose(s) that you feel is the most important.

#11 - Cimabue (1240 - 1302)

3/6/2017

 
Picture







Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets
ca. 1280 - 1290
Tempera on wood
12’ 7” x 7’ 4”
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy


















WATCH THIS and take notes:

READ THIS and take notes:
Adapted from "The Human Body"
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/proto-renaissance.html

We have bodies that exist in space, and this has been a fundamental challenge for artists through history.

In ancient Greece and Rome, artists embraced the realities of the human body and the way that our bodies move in space (naturalism). For the next thousand years though, after Europe transitioned from a pagan culture to a Christian one in the middle ages, the physical was largely ignored in favor of the heavenly, spiritual realm. 

Medieval human figures were still rendered, but they were elongated, flattened and static, or in other words, they were made to function symbolically.

Space
Instead of earthly settings, we often see flat, gold backgrounds. There were some exceptions along the way, but it’s not until the end of the 13th century in Italy that artists began to (re)explore the physical realities of the human figure in space. Here, they begin the long process of figuring out how space can become a rational, measurable environment in which their newly naturalistic figures can sit, stand and move.

Florence & Siena
In Italy, there were two city-states where we can see this renewed interest in the human figure and space: Florence and Siena. The primary artists in Siena were Duccio, the Lorenzetti Brothers, and Simone Martini. And in Florence, we look to the art of Cimabue and Giotto. 

Whereas medieval artists often preferred a flat, gold background, these artists began to construct earthly environments for their figures to inhabit. We see landscapes and architecture in their paintings, though these are often represented schematically. These Florentine and Sienese artists employed diagonal lines that appear to recede and in this way convey a simple illusion of space, though that space is far from rational to our eyes. When we look closely, we can see that the space would be impossible to move through, and that the scale of the architecture often doesn’t match the size of the figures.

​

​AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, personal reflection, and additional research as needed:
​

1. Compare this painting to the Justinian mosaic.....what is similar in the way that they depict space? What is different? How did Cimabue try to depict "real" space?
2. Explain the difference between naturalism and symbolism, especially as it relates to the changes in art between the Greek sculptures we studied and the work of Cimabue.
3.  The narrators use the term, "chiaroscuro," in the video - what does this term mean and how does it relate to concept of "space"?

#15 - Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956)

4/29/2016

 
Picture
Jackson Pollock, Number 1 (Lavender Mist), 1950, oil, enamel, and aluminum on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

READ this/take notes: http://www.biography.com/people/jackson-pollock-9443818


WATCH this/take notes:
QUESTIONS:

1. Why did Pollock use numbers for the titles of his paintings?
2. How did a Depression era government program play a role in Pollock's art career? What else played a role in his success?
3. What is your opinion about Pollock's work? Whatever your opinion, make sure to offer supporting information to back it up.
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