Artist Spotlights

Art 3/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!

#10 - Mark Bradford (b. 1961)

2/11/2019

Pickett's Charge (Witness Tree) - detail
2016–17
Mixed Media

Did you see this installation @ the Hirshhorn?

You don't live the in the 1940s as the Abstract Expressionists did.... neither does Mark Bradford... but the lessons are still there for the taking. See what Bradford has learned from AbEx and how he has developed his own style and process along the way. After reviewing the provided resources, write a response.

#9 - Another AbEx painter

1/18/2019

Go to the Student Websites page to access the AWARENESS/AS #8 post that you have been assigned. Follow the same directions as you would for any Artist Spotlight entry to complete AS #9.

#8 - Will be an AWARENESS post...

1/3/2019

In order to select the artist who you will investigate and present in an AWARENESS post, do the following:

1) DUE January 11th: In your SB, briefly investigate at least THREE Abstract Expressionist painters with the goal of presenting ONE as an AWARENESS post (as Artist Spotlight #8) on your blog. PLEASE NOTE:

At least one of the three researched artists must be BEYOND those covered in the Power Point presentation (see the list below)
After doing the preliminary research, indicate your interest level in each artist by numbering your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices.
- NOTE: In order to avoid duplication, artists will be assigned in a specific (maybe random) manner (TBD). Therefore, it is in your best interest to take the opportunity to find three artists who you will be happy to research!

2) DUE January 18th: For Artist Spotlight #8, create an AWARENESS post about the AbEx painter you have been assigned to investigate more fully.

Just as you did for your Old Master, this is an opportunity to get to know about the artist's life, work, and process.
USE this research to inspire YOUR and YOUR CLASSMATES painting process.
Once posted, classmates will be assigned an artist(s) to investigate using the standard sketchbook "Artist Spotlight format," including answers to the questions you have asked.
SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR THE AWARENESS POST CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Theodoros Stamos (1922-97), Jimmy Ernst (1920-84), Barnett Newman (1905-70), James C. Brooks (1906-92), Mark Rothko (1903-70); middle row: Richard Pousette-Dart (1916-92), William Baziotes (1912-63), Jackson Pollock (1912-56), Clyfford Still (1904-80), Robert Motherwell (1915-91), Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899-53); back row: Willem de Kooning (1904-97), Adolph Gottlieb (1903-74), Ad Reinhardt (1913-67), and Hedda Sterne (1910-2011).

Many important AbEx painters are featured in the above photo or listed below:

Hans Hofman
Norman Lewis
Philip Guston
Robert Motherwell

The following are all female painters whose work can be seen here: The Women of Abstract Expressionism: 12 Artists History Should not Forget (Hedda Sterne is not on this list but is linked above in the photo caption).

- Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989)
- Joan Mitchell (1925-1992)
- Mary Abbott (1921-)
- Deborah Remington (1930-2010)
- Judith Godwin (1930-)
- Lee Krasner (1908-1984)
- Ethel Schwabacher (1903-1984)
- Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011)
- Perle Fine (1905-1988)
- Grace Hartigan (1922-2008)
- Jay DeFeo (1929-1989)
- Sonia Gechtoff (1926-)

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:

#7 Franz Kline (1910 - 1962)

12/3/2018

Four Square
1956
oil on canvas
78 3/8 x 50 3/4 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tremaine
1971.87.12
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Watch this again if you need to.... it's a really good review of the AbEx movement that Franz Kline is associated with. Try to get a feel for the "mood" of the day and the role that artists like Kline took upon themselves.

What should you know about Franz Kline's painting techniques? What ideas can you glean for your own work?

Read: Franz Kline Discussing Black and White (1960). After investigating color theory and simultaneous contrast - AND knowing the important role that color can play in a work of art.... consider why he took this achromatic approach. What approach might you take?

DEFINE:

Gestural
Iterative
Action painting
Scumble

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, notes taken, personal reflection, and additional research as needed. Make sure to consider how this information is relevant to your current work and practice.

What were the Abstract Expressionists trying to express?
How did Franz Kline arrive at abstraction in his work?
Why did Franz Kline like using house paint, an unconventional material for fine art?
Explain Kline's use of black and white. Will you use color or not? If so, which ones and why? If not, why?
Compare/contrast Franz Kline’s "Four Square" and Whistler’s "Nocturne in Black and Gold"

#6 James McNeill Whistler (1834 -1903)

11/26/2018

Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket, 1875, oil on panel, 60.2 x 46.7 cm (Detroit Institute of the Arts)

READ THIS: Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket
READ THIS: Aestheticism
WATCH THESE VIDEOS:

In the video below, watch the images as they move from real to abstract to non-objective... Piet Mondrian was mentioned in the first video and these are some of his paintings. ASK YOURSELF: At what point is the tree no longer the subject? Without a tree, what becomes the subject? How does this shift in subject affect the content of the work? How is this style similar to/different from realistic art? Think about these things are you prepare for your next project, Abstract Expressionist painting!

AFTER EXPLORING THE PROVIDED RESOURCES:

Define

Japonisme
Abstract Expressionism
Aestheticism

Write a reflection that includes but does not have to be limited to:

What are your thoughts?
What did you learn?
What connections can be made to what you know, what you've done, what you will be doing in class? (if you haven't yet done your PLANNING page for Abstract Expressionism, this would be a good time to do so)
Why is this artist so important?
What questions do you have?

CURIOUS? Here's more information:

#5 One Last Old Master! Due Nov. 19

11/12/2018

Access the Art 3 student websites and review the AS #3 AWARENESS POSTS.

Choose one more Old Master to study by creating an Artist Spotlight entry in your sketchbook (this is AS #5). Follow the standard directions, including answering the provided questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, notes taken, personal reflection, and additional research as needed. Make sure to consider how this information is relevant to your current work and practice.

Use this information to "stay in the old master mindset" as you work on your self-portrait by comparing & contrasting what you have learned about the life and times of your old master and others.

Domenico Ghirlandaio: Elizabeth
Leonardo da Vinci: Ria and Natalie
Albrecht Dürer: Alex
Raphael: Shreya, Rylan, and Helen
Parmigianino: Raina
Tiepolo: Ada
François Boucher: Lucy, Amelia, and Maya
Eugene Delacroix: Julianne
Mary Cassatt: Genisus

#4 Another Old Master - DUE Nov. 5

10/29/2018

Access the Art 3 student websites in order to review the AWARENESS POSTS (AS#3) that were created about the old masters whose is being copied (due 10/29/18).

Domenico Ghirlandaio: Elizabeth
Leonardo da Vinci: Ria and Natalie
Albrecht Dürer: Alex
Raphael: Shreya, Rylan, and Helen
Parmigianino: Raina
Tiepolo: Ada
François Boucher: Lucy, Amelia, and Maya
Eugene Delacroix: Julianne
Mary Cassatt: Genisus

Choose an Old Master to study by creating an Artist Spotlight entry in your sketchbook (this is AS #4). Follow the standard directions, including answering the provided questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, notes taken, personal reflection, and additional research as needed. Make sure to consider how this information is relevant to your current work and practice.

#3 Your Old Master - DUE Oct. 29

10/15/2018

NOTE: this is a WS assignment

For Artist Spotlight #3, please create an AWARENESS POST (on your website) about the old master whose work you are copying (click this link to access the full directions).

Once posted, classmates will be assigned an artist(s) to investigate using the standard sketchbook "Artist Spotlight format," including answers to the questions you have asked.

#2 Donatello (1386 - 1466)

10/1/2018

Full name: Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
Fun fact: Donatello was an apprentice to Lorenzo Ghiberti

David (front and rear view)
c. 1440
bronze
158 cm (approx. 5' 2")
Museo Nazionale de Bargello
Florence. Italy

FIRST unsupported standing bronze statue cast during the Renaissance.
FIRST of three famous Davids sculpted during the Renaissance: #2) the more conventional bronze by Andrea del Verrochio (1475); #3) the famous statue of David by Michelangelo (1501-4).
Another famous version includes the Baroque statue by Bernini (1624) (remember the qualities of Baroque art? You can clearly see them in Bernini's statues, yes?)(Reminds you of the transformation of Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic statues, yes?)
Based on the Biblical story of David, the young, Jewish fighter killed the Philistine giant, Goliath, in single combat and armed only with a sling and a few pebbles = Allegorical reference to the Republic of Florence.
Iconography: 1) Sword of Goliath in his right hand, 2) Rock in other hand, 3) Foot on Goliath's severed head

Statues of "David" by Donatello (1440), Michelangelo (1501-4) and Bernini (1624)

Any study of the "Old Masters" begins in the Italian Renaissance. Your drawing project is designed to help you better understand this critical time period - because understanding the context of the times will help you make a better drawing. It is in this era that the definition of art - and role of the artist - begins to change significantly. This change is critical to the continued evolution of art. Do you know what these specific changes were?

We have gone back in history a bit with Donatello... compare the birth/death dates of Donatello with Raphael, who you just studied, in order to put their lives into perspective within the period known as the Italian Renaissance.
Why is Donatello considered to be such an important artist?
The video covered a lot of ground. What did you know, what did you not know, what did you find to be of particular significance?
Review the vocabulary list your were given - are you able to add to any of the definitions based on the information provided here...? Do it!

#1 Raphael (1483 - 1520)

9/24/2018

Full name: Raffaello Sanzio (or Santi) da Urbino

Read and take notes:

(adapted from https://www.raphaelsanzio.org/biography.html)

Raphael was one of the finest draftsmen in the history of Western art, and used drawings extensively to plan his compositions.
Raphael's art marks "a shift of resources away from production to research and development".
When a final composition was achieved, scaled-up full-size cartoons were often made, which were then pricked with a pin and "pounced" with a bag of soot to leave dotted lines on the surface as a guide.
Most Raphael drawings are rather precise—even initial sketches with naked outline figures are carefully drawn, and later working drawings often have a high degree of finish, with shading and sometimes highlights in white.
He was one of the last artists to use metalpoint (literally a sharp pointed piece of sliver or another metal) extensively, although he also made superb use of the freer medium of red or black chalk.
In his final years he was one of the first artists to use female models for preparatory drawings—male pupils ("garzoni") were normally used for studies of both sexes

Additional biographical information - read and take notes:
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1818.html#biography

Watch, listen, and take notes:

This is a collection of Raphael's drawings - just look; pay attention to subject, composition, line quality, gesture, mark-making, and modeling of form.

Raphael was the younger contemporary of both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo... compare the birth/death dates of these three artists and put this relationship into perspective.
Artists respond to what is happening around them... 1) What ground-breaking work of Leonardo da Vinci caught Raphael's eye in 1504? 2) What subsequent inspirations hit him in 1508?
The terms cartoon, metalpoint, humanism (humanist), and fresco were used in the assigned readings. If you can define these terms on your own, please do so on the Renaissance/Old Master vocabulary handout you were given. If not, look up the definitions. Then, read through the remaining vocabulary on the handout and define only the terms that you already know (write in your own words/leave the unknown words alone for now).

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