SUBJECTS AND VOCABULARY
OF ART HISTORY
INTRO TO THE GARDNER’S
How are History and
Art History
inseparable?
• Artwork sheds light on peoples who made
them and the times in a way historical
documents do not.
• History tells us what set of circumstances
was involved in the creation of the artwork,
enabling us to understand the work as it was
meant to be understood in its own time.
• Artwork can affect history by reinforcing or
challenging cultural values and practices
through objects and structures.
Classifications of types of art:
•
•
•
•
Architecture
Sculpture
Pictorial arts
Craft arts (arts of design)
• Sometimes objects are discovered in
an art historical context as art when
they weren’t meant to be art in their
own time…..
Waterworn pebble resembling a human
face, from Makapansgat, South Africa, ca.
3,000,000 BCE. Reddish brown jasperite,
approx. 2 3/8” wide.
The ways we can look at a work
of art:
• AS SOMETHING NEW BECAUSE IT IS NEW TO US
– As something that still exists in our time as an object, work or
structure we are experiencing in OUR context
• AS SOMETHING OLD BECAUSE IT IS FROM AN OLDER TIME
THAT HAS ALREADY PASSED
– As something that existed in another time and place we are
visitors to-with NO TRUE understanding of what it was to live
then….but as a studier of the circumstance-we view it vicariously
in an informed way in its own context
• AS SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF TIME AND PLACE THAT IS
NEITHER NEW NOR OLD
– As something that is in and of itself a separate entity-separate
from time, classification and where we are now-or the context it
was born in-
• Artworks age-like people-and though
they don’t SHOW wear and tear when
they are taken care of: Society shows it
for them…we can view the continuum
of Art History as the artistic
development of humanity as a
whole….as artists, patrons, audience
and students…..
….Paleolithic Era
…Renaissance Period
Modern Art….
How we can view the continuum:
• As something static-it has been finished and is
done-set in stone by the academics…
• Something that is still in flux and being revised and
determined-that it is not a finite right now because of
the gaps that exist-it is still being academically
determined and framed-it could be altered in the
future based on future society’s classifications,
objectives, perspectives and concerns
• Something that can be viewed through a different
paradigm altogether-we will use the word pedagogy-
PARADIGM
• Paradigm: An example serving as a
model-in the history of art-this can be an
artwork that sets a CANON –OR- can be a
model of existence-the societal norms of
thought and perspective that make up a
culture’s sense of self in the universe. (We
will discuss paradigm shifts of thought and
belief from time to time on our journey)
Up to this point we have viewed
the paradigm of:
• Tolstoy and his theories on the value of
good and bad art…
• Greenberg and the idea of the high,
popular, avant-garde and kitsch
• Josephson and her explanations of high,
popular, advertising and design arts to
understand the blurred lines of the postmodern artistic paradigm.
PEDAGOGY
• Pedagogy: The art/science of teaching-and the
strategies for instruction within a certain model
of teaching….Pedagogy used to teach Art
History can be different based on where you
learn, what your text is, who the author is, and
what the paradigm or model for existence is
within that Pedagogy…..Western Art History
COULD be taught from the perspective of Nonwestern thought; from the perspective of women
or minorities; even from the perspective of Bob
Jones-whoever he is…..
• Our accepted pedagogy here is the
narrator(s) of the Gardner’s and the other
supporting text we will read throughout the
class….
• Don’t forget-it is also Mrs Dowdy’s
accepted pedagogy-don’t think it is THE
ONLY ONE…. (just the best one)
However….
• THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF CONTEMPORARY
ART HISTORY IS STATED IN YOUR BOOK_at
the end: “the context of artworks and
buildings is one of the central aims of art
history.”
• This is true with academic institutions in this
country-as well as with the College Board
and AP exam…..
• So we will use that consistently in our
pedagogy from the position of our own
paradigm….. (say that 5 times fast)
Soooo……Let’s become
Art Historians…
How old is it?
Use:
Physical evidence
Documentary evidence
(Provenance)
Internal evidence
Stylistic evidence
What is its style?
Period style
(Regional Style) Provenance
Personal Style
What is its subject?
Genre
Landscape
Still-life
Portraiture
Mythological/Historical/Religious
What is the content?
Iconography
Symbols
Attributes
Personification
Who made it?
• To whom is it attributed?
• What school?
• What could a connoisseur tell you?
Who paid for it?
Who was the patron?
Now let’s try it…
• In groups of 3 (one of 2)-with the people
closest to you: go through the steps of
criticism to uncover the “secrets” of these
works….if you get overwhelmed by all this
vocab-don’t panic: first flashcard
assignment is tonight-finish INTRO
chapter and define all the words that are in
yellow, orange or red on THIS PPT.
OBSERVE
:
Using:
Physical evidence
Documentary evidence (Provenance)
Internal evidence
Stylistic evidence
– The sensory properties-what do you smell,
see touch, taste, hear….USE THE
ELEMENTS OF ART HERE: LINE, SHAPE,
SPACE, COLOR, TEXTURE, FORM, VALUE
(the basic vocabulary or building blocks of
art)
– The technical properties-what materials do
you see that were used?
– Here you can explain what the subject is:
•
Genre…Landscape…Still-life….Portraiture/….Mythological/Historical/Religious
ANALYZE
• Formal Properties: Here we are looking for the
principles of art….(the grammar and structure of the
artwork that uses the vocabulary to communicate):
Balance, Movement, Contrast, Emphasis,
Rhythm, Unity, Pattern, and Proportion
• Through these, determine if you can:
•
•
•
Period style
(Regional Style) Provenance
Personal Style
Technical Properties: How is the work crafted-how have the
materials been used to create a whole?
What MEDIUM is used? How is the TECHNIQUE used?
CRAFTSMANSHIP IS THE SKILLFUL USE OF
MATERIALS TO CREATE A WORK THAT IS DEVOID
OF TECHNICAL FLAWS……
RELEVANCE:
• Now…..why and how is this work relevant,
important and what it meant in its own
time….
INTERPRET
• The expressive properties: What kind of mood or feeling
are you getting from the vocabulary and grammar? Look
especially at colors, shapes that make symbols and the
ideas you read behind them –the media chosen and the
craftsmanship to determine what this piece is expressing
to you….use the sensory and formal observations you
made to back up your findings here: look for meaning in:
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•
•
•
Iconography
Symbols
Attributes
Personification
• The reflective properties: What is this work telling you
about the artist that made it or the culture it came from?
• BASE THIS STEP ON YOUR ANALYSIS –IT WILL
INVOLVE YOUR PERSONAL OPINIONS BUT AS
LONG AS YOU BASE IT ON YOUR ANALYSIS –THIS
IS O-KAY…..
JUDGE (or synthesis)
• Here you are putting it all together to determine:
– Is it a successful work based on your research?
– Is it preferable to you based on your research?
– Is it successful based on what the creator seems to
be attempting to do?
– RELY ON ALL THE PREVIOUS STEPS HERE TO
MAKE AN INFORMED JUDGEMENT!
• Here-as an Art Historian-you could determine:
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•
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To whom is it attributed?
What school?
What could a connoisseur tell you?
•
Who was the patron?
•
You might also consider more about the Provenance to inform your conclusions.
When you are creating your final synthesisyou will also consider and determine which of the
following apply here :
Reasons People Make Art:
Tribute
Record History
Tell a Story
Express Identity or Self Status
Pleasure
Ritual
Function
Reflect or Influence Ideas
This all leads you to…
CONTEXT
• The conclusion all
your analysis and
interpretation leads
to-this is the final step
of synthesis
• The matrix/paradigm
that contain the
circumstances
surrounding the work
of art
OTHER VOCAB TO TAKE ON
YOUR JOURNEY
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Multi-media
Chronology
Narrative
Canon
Hierarchy of Scale
Aesthetic
Free-standing
Relief
Plan
Section
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Perspective
Foreshortening
Proportion
Armature
Subtractive
Additive
Carving
Casting
Mold
IN REVIEW:
WORDS TO KNOW
• CONTENT
meaning behind the
work and what the
work is about
(Expressive and
Reflective
properties):
• FORM
the way the piece of
art gets across its
content (Sensory,
Formal and
Technical
Properties):
Subject and
Iconography are
important here-this
is the relevance
of the work in its
own time
• Composition and
Media are important
here…this is the
physicality of the
33 work itself
This all leads you to…
CONTEXT
• The conclusion all
your analysis and
interpretation leads
to-this is the final step
of synthesis
• The matrix/paradigm
that contain the
circumstances
surrounding the work
of art
Angkor Wat: Cambodia
Night Attack: Japan
King of Ita Yemoo:
African Ife-Ife
Auspicious Objects: China