HCC Art Appreciation
Test #1 Review
Slide notes
René Magritte. The Treason of ImagesCh. 2 Developing Visual literacy – the ability to
communicate why you like or dislike a piece of art. Not taking the visual for granted.
The relationship between words, images, and the real world.
Magritte – This is not a pipe. Reminding us that The actual thing and the representation of it
are not the same thing.
Shirin Neshat. Rebellious Silence - Iranian woman. Photo with ink. Poem by iranian
woman poet about the belief that some islamic women the chador - liberating because it
frees them from being a sexual object – equalizing them with men.
The meaning of the poem is lost to many. And so the piece comments on the misreading and
miscommunication between islam and the west.
Content derived thru treatment of subject matter.
Albert Bierstadt. The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak Oil on canvas – representational.
Capturing the excitement of the unexplored west. To convey it’s awesomeness actually
painted the swiss alps.
Example of naturalism/ not quite realism, because of his personal bias in the paintinglooking to represent the sublime.
Sesshu Toyo. Haboku Landscape for Soen Much more abstract. Haboku meaning “broken
ink”
Notice that this is NOT nonobjective.
Beatriz Milhazes. Carambola Acrylic painting by brazilian artist. She uses the term
conflict to talk about where colors meet/interact . Plants (carambola tree), brazilian
carnival ornate churches all inspire her. But result is nonobjective.
Jan van Eyck. Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife Giovanna Cenami Oil on wood (same as
ghent alterpiece) sometimes meaning can be lost over time as a culture changes. What does
this look like?
it’s a marriage – green was the trad. Wedding dress (for fertility), shoes removed in ref. to a
commandment that god gave moses the the old test. , one candle sybolizes christ, dog –
faithfullness and marital fidelity. Used to keep beds in other parts of the house so may not
be a bedroom.
Jean-Michel Basquiat. Charles the First Artists often create a personal iconography. Did
graffiti in nyc- SAMO. Jazz sax player charlie parker. “Royalty, heroism and the streets”
Simultaneouly ref. superheros (S, x-mn) himself, X is hobo for OK HERE.
Cherokee - a jazz song, the trail of tears (georgia to oklahoma) 4 feathers – The native
americans, parker himself (nickname “Bird”) violence of tar and feathering. Kings being
beheaded (king charles I of england).
Acrylic and oil paintstick
Chris Ofili. The Holy Virgin Mary Sometimes work is successful but controversial at the
same time. raised catholic in britian –parents from nigeria. Mashing up backgrounds.
Yellow resin dots. Bums, elephant dung. Virgin mary.
2000 Giuliani threatens to cut off $ from city for museum b/c of uproar from offended
catholics. Court stopped him. Smeared white paint.
Maya Ying Lin. Vietnam Memorial Rejection and then understanding. Not a heroic soldier
figure. Ground slope down and up, trajectory of war. Every name is listed. Coming up out of
the slope – process of healing.
Experience walking through piece has content.
Richard Serra. Tilted Arc This piece was actually removed - 1989
Federal plaza in lower manhattan.
People thought it was a rude scar. Serra intended the work to be confrontational. To cut
across the space and make you deal with it.
It was destroyed afterward – because it was site-specific. Lawsuit and all.
Cai Guo-Qiang. Transient Rainbow Chinese, gunpowder drawings, also “explosion events”
East river, nyc coming after 9/11 healing. Museum moving across the river - bridge
Circle pi- ancient chinese symbol for the universe.
His materials- remnants of time, violence and creation
Alberto Giacometti. Man Pointing One example of implied line . Goes right into the room.
Titian. Assumption and Consecration of the Virgin Implied line in painting
Chéri Samba. Calvary Acrylic on canvas. Zaire.
Line of movement.
Sol LeWitt. Wall Drawing Follow instructions and remove expressive importance of artist.
Hung Liu. Relic 12 Creation goddess raining down
-Chinese artist
Jacques Louis David. The Death of Socrates Grid – less obvious. He is the subject and the
1st philosopher. Logic/ rationality.
Eugène Delacroix. The Death of Sardanapalus Last king of the Assyrian dynasty. Killed
and destroyed.
Barbara Hepworth. Two Figures Negative/positive shape
Figurative.
Duccio. Perspective Analysis of Annunciation of the Death of the Virgin, from the
Maestà Altarpiece. Perspective is something that artists work toward achieving.
Not realistic
Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper Is realistic. Monastery wall in milan, italy.
Henri Matisse. Harmony in Red (The Red Room). Flattens the dimensional space with
color and pattern.
Paul Colin. Figure of a Woman Example of chiaroscuro.
It’s one way artists rep. light.
Mary Cassatt. The Coiffure Hatching . More marks, more shadow
Michelangelo. Head of a Satyr Pen and ink. Cross-hatching
Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam (unrestored) Palette – range of colors used.
Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam (restored) Saturated!
Jane Hammond. Fallen Analagous color scheme . Each leaf has name for soldier killed in
iraq. Piece kept growing.
Cara Grande feather mask Brazilian mask. Example of complimentary color
VAN GOGH – OUTDOOR CAFÉ - Complimentary colors
VAN GOGH – SELF-PORTRAIT _ Analogous
Vincent van Gogh. The Night Café Complimentary colors to bring tension and emotional
imbalance.
Chuck Close. Stanley (large version) Had success with seraut’s idea.
Michelangelo. Pietà Texture. Vatican. Texture. Marble soft, lifelike
Manuel Neri. Mujer Pegada Series No. 2 Actual texture
Max Ernst. Forest and Dove Visual texture
Frottage – to rub
William A. Garnett. Erosion and Strip Farms Visual texture
Kente prestige cloth (detail) Ghana. Special occasions and ceremonies
Miriam Schapiro. Night Shade Hommage to women.
Jackson Pollock painting Autumn Rhythm. Energy and motion
Jackson Pollock. No. 29, 1950 Energy and motion (painting is behavior)
“time” represented in a still piece.
Grace Ndiritu. Still Life: White Textiles British born of kenyan descent. She talks about
matisse’s harmony in red. Animation and loss of depth of space. Women in matisse’s
paintings were african textiles - seduction
Taj Mahal. Symmetrical! India – leader of india built it for his wife who died in childbirth.
This is Absolute symmetry.
Enguerrand Quarton. Coronation of the Virgin Crucifix makes the center line here.
Jerusalem and Rome. Purgatory and hell. Unity . Wholeness.
Bilateral
Jan Vermeer. Woman Holding a Balance Dutch. Weighing jewels, last judgement painting.
Small painting.
Rose window. Chartres Cathedral France. Rose window. Depictions from bible. Christ
right in the center.
John Feodorov. Animal Spirit Channeling Device for the Contemporary Shaman. Part
navajo. Revamping kitchy toys and products w/o spirituality and assigning them.
Circular totem pole.
Anna Vallayer-Coster. Still Life with Lobster Only thing with saturated color and more
light is the lobster.
Georges de La Tour. Joseph the Carpenter.
Joseph and Jesus.
Larry Poons. Orange Crush Acrylic painting..
Afocal. Distracted all over.
Diego Velázquez. Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor). Afocal. What is going on here???
Spanish court of king philip IV. First focus - Princess Margarita - she. Implied lines from her
maids. Some people look at us! Glow in the mirror – king and queen.
OR the king and queen have come to see her portrait.
Double portrait. Assistant of queen and possible relative of velazquez. Raises nobility of
artist and act of painting.
Hokusai. The Great Wave off Kanagawa Woodcut print. Switching up the expected scale.
Laylah Ali. Untitled “Greenheads” more repetition. Not a roller coaster. Horror is the
endless repetition.