World off art 8th edtion by henry m sayre chapter 02

WORLD OF ART EIGHTH EDITION CHAPTER Developing Visual Literacy World of Art, Eighth Edition Henry M Sayre Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates All rights reserved Learning Objectives of Describe the relationship between words and images Distinguish between representation and abstraction Discuss how form, as opposed to content, might also help us to understand the meaning of a work of art Learning Objectives of Explain how cultural conventions can inform our interpretation of works of art Introduction of • In order to get the most out of art appreciation, you must describe why you "like" a work and how it communicates to you rather than just "I like this work." Introduction of • Making sense of Willem de Koonig's North Atlantic Light requires visual literacy  The title helps us recognize what looks like a sailboat at the painting's center  Closer observation can reveal details about light reflecting from the sky into the sea  Critical thinking aids in the interpretation of complicated works Willem de Kooning, North Atlantic Light 1977 Oil on canvas, 6' 8" × 5' 10" Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Acquired with the support of the Rembrandt Association © 2015 Photo Art Resource/Scala, Florence © 2015 Willem de Kooning Words and Images of • Magritte's The Treason of Images depicts a reproduction of an image of a pipe found in tobacco ads of his time  The caption, translated as "This is not a pipe," refers to the fact that this image is not actually a representation of a pipe  Both images and words symbolically refer to things in the world, but are not the things themselves René Magritt, The Treason of Images, Ceci n'est past une pipe 1929 Oil on canvas, 21-1/2 × 28-1/2" Los Angeles County Museum of Art © 2015 C Herscovici/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [Fig 2-2] Words and Images of • Shirin Neshat's series, Women of Allah, combines words and images  Rebellious Silence shows a woman wearing a chador that covers everything but her face • A rifle divides the Farsi poem written on her face • The subject matter only hints at the complexity of its content, which relies on the context of the viewing party Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, from the series Women of Allah 1994 Gelatin silver print and ink, 11 ì 14" â Shirin Neshat, courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels Photo: Cynthia Preston [Fig X-X] Convention, Symbols, and Interpretation of • Iconography is a system of visual images widely understood by a given culture or group that is carried forward through generations • Symbols represent something other than their literal meaning • Over time, the meaning of an image can still change or be lost within a culture Convention, Symbols, and Interpretation of • Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife Giovanna Cenami by Jan van Eyck has a repertoire of symbols that would have been understood by the contemporaneous viewer, but are lost today • From a Muslim perspective, its elements would be nonsensical Jan van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife Giovanna Cenami ca 1434 Oil on oak panel, 32-1/4 × 23-1/2" National Gallery, London Inv NG186 Bought, 1842 © 2015 National Gallery, London/Scala, Florence [Fig 2-17] Convention, Symbols, and Interpretation of • It was recently discovered that Jan van Eyck's painting represents a betrothal rather than a marriage • The artist has also painted himself as witness, inscribing "Jan van Eyck was here" above the mirror Jan van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife (detail) ca 1434 Bridgeman Images [Fig 2-18] Convention, Symbols, and Interpretation of • Jean-Michel Basquiat pays tribute to jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker in his Charles the First  Iconography includes a crown representing African-American heroes  The large "S" stands for Superman as well as SAMO, the artist's "tag."  "X" has multiple meanings as X-Men, hobo signs; negation and affirmation Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charles the First 1982 Acrylic and oil paintstick on canvas, three panels, 6' 6" ì 5' 2-14" overall â 2015 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/ADAGP, Paris/ARS, New York [Fig 2-19] Convention, Symbols, and Interpretation of • Western viewers of the Buddha may not understand that the position of the Buddha's hands carries iconographic significance  Mudras refer both to general states of mind and specific events in the Buddha's life  The Amida Buddha represents the promise of being reborn into Paradise and escaping endless rebirth Buddha (Amida), Japan ca 1130 Wood with gold lacquer, 37-1/4 × 27 × 17" Seattle Art Museum Gift of the Monsen Family, 2011.39 Photo: Elizabeth Mann [Fig 2-20] The Critical Process: Thinking about Visual Conventions of • Two views of the signing of peace treaties in Kansas in 1867 present the same content, but different form • John Taylor's illustration is based on sketches done at the scene while Howling Wolf's work was completed about a decade later • "Ledger" drawings were created on blank accountants' ledgers John Taylor, Treaty Signing at Medicine Lodge Creek 1867 Drawing for Leslie's Illustrated Gazette, September–December 1867, as seen in Douglas C Jones, The Treaty of Medicine Lodge, page xx © 1966 Oklahoma University Press Reproduced with permission All Rights reserved [Fig 2-21] Howling Wolf, Treaty Signing at Medicine Lodge Creek 1875–78 Ledger drawing, pencil, crayon, and ink on paper, × 11" New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Albany [Fig 2-22] The Critical Process: Thinking about Visual Conventions of • Does the difference in the way both artists depict space suggest greater cultural differences?  Howling Wolf depicts the scene from above and Taylor's viewpoint is limited to the grove • Native Americans are portrayed individually and identifiably in Howling Wolf's work Thinking Back of Describe the relationship between words and images Distinguish between representation and abstraction Discuss how form, as opposed to content, might also help us to understand the meaning of a work of art Thinking Back of Explain how cultural conventions can inform our interpretation of works of art ... 6" Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Gift of Mr and Mrs Harry Kahn Art © Wolf Kahn/Licensed by VAGA, New York [Fig 2-11] Old Mick Tjakamarra, Honey... 18-11/16 × 13" Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Francis Bartlett Donation and Picture Fund, 14.692 Photograph © 2015 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston [Fig 2-4] Words and Images of • Islamic culture concerns... of ants appear at center Form and Meaning of • Form refers to everything from the materials used to create a work to the way it employs formal elements into the composition  It often opposed