In our introductory lecture we were introduced to the themes that serve as inspiration and motivations for artists, up through the centuries into current times. We discussed various aspects of the artists function in society such as:

1)Creating places for people to gather. Since the dawn of humankind we have needed not only shelter, but places for community to gather for worship, entertainment and memorializing our culture and history. Behind every structure created, there was an architect or artist who conceptualized these structures to address and meet a certain need or purpose. These monuments and structures contribute to our collective human life experience and instill a sense of community in our societies 2) Create extraordinary versions of ordinary things. Our lives are filled with all sort of utilitarian objects such as furniture, household accessories such as  dinner and kitchenware, various instruments and transportation vehicles that not only serve a specific function but also convey a sense of aesthetics that are pleasing to our eyes and senses. It is an artist’s function to meet these goals in ways that, not only represent a given style but in many ways, convey traditions and identities of a given society 3) Record and commemorate history. In a time, long before the internet and the information age, before television and even photography, historic events occurred that affected the world we live in. From the distant past to today, artists distill, capture and record these events that remind us of where we came from and how some of these events contributed to the world we inhabit today. 4) Give tangible form to intangible ideas or concepts  Another critical aspect to human existence relates to our spiritual faiths. Entities or fantasy beings or concepts and environments that are perceived only through historic texts or lore, are given a physical visual presence through the creative mind, eyes and hands of artists throughout history. 5) Express emotion in a visual manner  Depending on an artist’s intent, it is possible to impart a sence of emotions through the use of expression, color, perspective and motion. For example, consider Michelangelo’s statue of David where he was miraculously able to sculpt “thought” through his masterful manipulation and understanding of how thought informs our facial expressions. 6) Refresh and encourage different views of the world around us.  Often times we view the world around us while only absorbing the physical aspects that surround us. Through personal observation and a deeper consideration, artists can convey a sense of emotional depth and refresh and provide an alternative perception of our environment and views of the “ordinary”

In addition we learned new vocabulary and terms that apply to the discussion of art. Please study and understand the meaning of the following vocabulary and terms:

1) Representational art –A work of art that depicts physically recognizable forms,  objects, scenes or environments from the natural world.

3) Abstract art – A work of art that may be completely non-objective, or, refer to concrete objects reinterpreted through the reduction to a few essential characteristics.

4) Non-objective art – Art that does not represent, depict or otherwise refer to the visible world outside of itself. A work of art that does not relate to concrete objects but rather expresses something that can only be interpreted or appreciated intellectually.

5) Form – The physical appearance of a work of art – its materials, style,  palette, technique and composition

6) Content – The story or message(s) conveyed in a work of art. May be representational or abstract in nature.

7) Iconography – The identification, description, interpretation,  and symbolism of subject matter in art.

8) Style – Refers to a characteristic or group of characteristics that we recognize as constant, recurring or coherent in a work of art.

9) Stylized – Created to give a work a distinctive artistic style, often at the expense of naturalness.

10) Genre painting – The daily lives of ordinary people and circumstances considered as subject matter for art. Paintings that take daily life for its subject matter.

11) Context – The circumstances that bind a work of art to its creator,  the tradition in which it was created, it’s intended audience and the society and time in which it was circulated.

#NOTE: These terms and specific artist functions will be addressed in Quiz #1

This week’s lecture introduces the fundamental and formal aspects artists use in creating two-dimensional images. (drawings and paintings) Topics discussed cover the formal elements ofLine: Triangulated, which implies motion/movement as well as emotional responses such as stress and anxiety. Rectilinear, which gives a sense of stability and order. Curvlinear/organic line instills a sense of calm and relaxation.  Lines are utilized to create Shape:Non-objective shapes refer to, or represent, nothing outside of themselves. Geometric and man-made shapes are created using mathmatical formula whereas organic shapes are flowing and describe natural forms. We also identify these lines that create recognizable shapes as contour lines that describe the form being represented. Note that lines may also be employed to create a sense of volume and mass through the use of hatching and cross-hatching techniques.

Volume and mass are more representationally and naturally described through the use of the continuous tone light logic called Chiaroscuro (light and dark) which descibes form in the manner which light dissipates across an uneven and/or irregular surface.

Also covered is basic color theory as related to the 12-hue color wheel. We will review the three color groups: primary, secondary and tertiary and the color characteristics of value (light to dark), intensity and saturation (color purity).  Depth spatial dynamics will be discussed through the use of basic linear perspective and compositional aspects such as the passage of time, motion and distance through the use of atmospheric perspective through the manipulation of an artist’s palette.

Terms and vocabulary to know and understand. 1) chiaroscuro – (light and dark) which describes form in the manner of which light dissipates in continuous tone transitions across an uneven and/or irregular surface. 2) value – The relation of dark to light in tones or colors 3) linear perspective – A drawing method used to describe deep space through the use of converging parallel lines to vanishing points located on a horizon line. 4) atmospheric perspective – The effect that atmospheric conditions have on distant objects or landforms by diminishing the values. Very distant objects usually appearing to be a pale grayish blue. 5) subtractive mixing – Mixing one color (pigment) with  another color which subtracts from the purity of both.6) complimentary colors –  Colors that are directly across from one another on the color wheel. 7) analogous colors –  Colors that are directly adjacent to eah other on the color wheel. 8) composition – The arrangement of elements or components within the image area. 9) balance – symmetrical/asymmetrical 10) texture –  implied (artist created) / tactile (actual physical texture) 11) rhythm – Repeated similar objects/elements distributed throughout the composition. Promotes viewer’s attention throughout the composition.

**NOTE: The terms and vocabulary listed above will be asked about in Quiz#2

This weeks’ lecture and discussion will introduce concepts and approaches to the broad topic of design, considering both applied industrial design and fine arts. Designers are artists in their own right, in that they imagine, conceive and develop creative solutions that in addition to serving functionality, also meet and set aesthetic trends that appeal to and contribute to the needs of an idealized utopian society.  We will look at the work and contributions of noted influential 20th century designers such as: Walter Gropius, founder of the highly influential school of design, Bauhaus. (founded in 1919, in Berlin, Germany) We will also be introduced to the modernist works of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Raymond Lowey and the husband and wife team of Ray and Charles Eames. We will see how these designers of the past and schools of thought have impacted how we see and use the products of everyday life and how we engage with the environments we inhabit in the lifestyles of today.

Vocabulary and terms to become familiar with:  1) Golden section (fibonacci rectangle) an harmonious scale of proportion that conveys a sense of visual balance. 2) Symmetrical balance– equal distribution of elements on either side of horizontal or vertical axises / Asymmetrical balance – an implied /perceived balance comprised of unequal elements.  3) Rhythm – the placement of similar objects or shapes to direct viewer’s attention throughout the composition.  4) Texture: Tactile – actual texture that is felt through touch. Implied – artist simulated texture, 5) Complimentary colors – colors that are located directly across from each other on the color wheel. 6) Chromatic grays – complimentary colors that are mixed to create nuetral tones. 6) Analogous colors – colors directly adjacent to each other on the color wheel. 7) Juxtaposition 7) scale  8) proportion

**NOTE: The terms and vocabulary listed above will be asked about in Quiz#2

This week’s lectures look at the various Mediums (materials) used in executing two-dimensional drawings and paintings (including methods).

Since the dawn of humankind in the Paleolithic epoch, our species has been inclined to communicate through making marks and shapes on permanent surfaces.  The earliest drawings, (which we refer to as paintings due to the use of different colors) are found in the Chavet and Lascaux caves, in southeastern France, and are considered the very beginning of what we refer to as “Western art“.  This gave us the ability to see into the flora and fauna and history of what was in the minds of the people of this era. The main drawing mediums (dry media) discussed are: (minerals) charcoal, graphite, chalk and pastels. Painting mediums (wet media) are pigments (ground minerals of varying colors) mixed with various liquid materials such as egg yolks, liquified wax and oils that serve to suspend these minerals which bind and adhere them to the surface. These led to different application techniques being developed, which include: encaustic (pigments added and applied to molten wax) tempera (egg tempera) watercolor (transparent water based) gouache (opaque water based) oils (opaque petroleum based) acrylics (opaque water based)

Terms and vocabulary to know and understand: 1) encaustic  2) fresco (buon fresco/ fresco seco) 3) opaque  4) impasto (thick application of paint to the surface, which results in a tactile, textural quality to the surface)

Definition and characteristics of the various drawing and painting mediums:

DRY MEDIA: (drawing) 

• Charcoal: Derived from carbonized woods, charcoal comes in different varieties and densities; compressed stick, willow (vine) and pencils of varying degrees of hardness. Creates dense, rich darks yet capable of soft/ light finishes as well.
• Graphite: Drawing pencils are made with graphite, (a carbon mineral) which is also called black lead or plumbago, mixed with clay. They come rated by hardness: the more clay mixed with the graphite, the harder the pencil (lighter mark); the more graphite, the softer. (darker mark)
• Chalk: Natural chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock (mineral)which historically, was ground into powder and compressed into sticks.Modern day artist’s chalk is generally made from the mineral gypsum. Pigments may be added to provide color.
• Pastel: Pastel sticks consist of pure powdered pigment (color) combined with an inert binder (most commonly gum arabic and gypsum). They are available in varying degrees of hardness, the softer varieties being wrapped in paper.*Note: Another variety of pastel uses an oil based binder and may be considered a painting medium as well.

  WET MEDIA: (paints)

• Encaustic: This is a method in which pigments are mixed with and applied with molten/liquefied wax and when cured, retain their brilliance of color and permanence.
• Tempera: (also known as egg tempera) traditionally created by hand-grinding dry powdered pigments into egg yolk (which was the primary binding agent or medium)Tempera colors are historically, the earliest known painting medium.
  Frescoe: Fresco is a method that was developed in the early Renaissance, where large scenes (murals) were painted on walls and ceilings. There are two styes of frescoe, Buon (or true) frescoe, is where tempera colors were applied to wet plaster. The tempera paints were absorbed into the plaster and when fully cured, retain their brilliance and permanence. Frescoe Seco (or dry) frescoe is where tempera paints are applied to a dry surface. This method does not result in the permanence of buon frescoe, but rather is vunerable to deterioration such as we saw in Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper frescoe.
• Watercolor: very finely ground pigments which are mixed with gum arabic or glycerin as a binder. Considered a transparent medium. Most commonly used on a paper support where the white of the paper gives the color its brilliance.  
• Gouache: Similar to the components of watercolors, (i.e; pigments and gum arabic as the binder) but with white pigment added to achieve opacity. (non-transparent)  
• Oils: Pigments are mixed with various types of oils, such as linseed (most commonly), walnut or saffron. Resins are added as a drying agent and for permanence. Developed during the Italian Renaissance, oils afforded the artist greater drying time and workability of the paint on the surface. The development of oils was a huge leap forward for artists in their depictions of our natural world, in regards to value and color transitions across surfaces. This, along with the understanding and use of chiaroscuro resulted in highly accurate naturalism and the lifelike quality we see in the works of the Renaissance masters, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian.
• Acrylics: Developed in the 50’s for industrial use, acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. A water soluble medium that becomes water resistant when dry.

**NOTE: The media discussed above will be asked about in Quiz #3

This week’s lectures will cover the subjects of Prints and the Camera Arts. Both of these processes produce “multiples” which are accessible to a much wider audience. Our week will start with the discussion of prints, and will cover the historic development and function of printing as well as the basic processes involved and the different types of prints.

Point of discussion: What are the advantages of prints? To the artist who produces the print, or to the general public at large?

Printing terms, vocabulary and processes we will be introduced to, and to understand, include: Matrix – the surface on which the image is created and printed from. /Impression – the actual printed copy drawn from the matrix. / Limited edition – a finite numbered series of impressions, after which the original matrix is destroyed, resulting in increased value. 

PRINTING PROCESSES: Relief print (earliest method, developed by the Chinese)- impressions produced off of a raised and inked surface. /Intaglio prints – these processes include: engraving • etching and mezzotint, where the image is carved into the matrix. Once inked, the surface is wiped clean, leaving ink in the recessed incisions below the surface which will results in the final impression./ Lithography –  a process where the artist works on a flat, (planographic) ink resistant surface. The image is then drawn with a grease pencil that accepts ink, resulting in a positive image from which the impression will be produced. /  Silk-screen/Serigraphy (screen prints) a stencil process where the positive image is cut from a lacquer film which is then imbedded into a super fine-mesh silk screen material. This blocks the areas outside of the image itself.  In addition to fine art prints, this is the primary process used in all of our printed textiles such as clothing.

In our discussion of the Camera Arts, we will look at the development of both still and motion pictures, from early techniques and uses through to current digital technologies.

In our current technological, digital age, we are inundated by barrages of photographic imagery. While this technology and imagery is achieved by a simple click of the shutter, it is the artist’s eye and creative sensitivity that composes and captures the moment, the image, which communicates the message and/or intent of the artist behind the lens. That said, it is the viewer who brings their own interpretation to an image which may differ from the intent of the photographer who produced the image.

Point of discussion: Most recently, it is interesting to consider what we used to call “photographic proof”. Our perceptions are now being brought into question by the rapid development of technologies such as AI. Do we accept current photographic imagery as reality or fantasy?With the sophistification of current technology, is it becoming more difficult to distinguish?

We will be introduced to the work of pioneering photographers such as: Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre and the photographers and film makers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Still photographers such as: Mathew Brady, Timothy O’Sullivan, Edward S. Curtis, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, the internationally renowned, American photograher, Ansel Adams to the influential California artist/photgrapher, Jayme Odgers. We will also be introduced to the famous Cuban Revolutionary photographer Alberto Korda, in addition to notable film directors : D.W. Griffith, Fritz Lang, Cecil B. DeMille and Orson Welles, who’s work continues to inspire the photographers and film makers of today.

Photographic terms to know and understand: Camera obscura – the first photographic apparatus conceived by Persian inventor Abu Ali-Hasan in the mid-19th century. Daguerrotype – the first mechanically captured image, developed as a positive image on a chemically treated copper plate.

We will wrap up our introduction and discussion of the camera arts with a look back at  some of the stylistic and often times, humorous trends of the 50’s up to the digital magic of today’s industry

**NOTE: The various printing processes and vocabulary will be asked about in addition to the terms related to photography in Quiz#3

This week’s lectures turn our attention to 3-dimensional arts, of Sculpture and Installation. Since the time in history when humans were painting on cave walls, we have been inclined to create 3-dimensional objects that imitate life and contribute to the story of our existence. Be it the human figure itself, from animals and other varied forms of the local flora and fauna, to representations of spiritual icons that have been passed down through oral histories, customs, traditions and cultures of the many societies that inhabit our world today. From antiquity forward through the centuries, to our present modern era, sculpture remains a viable form of human creative expression.  From representational to completely abstract, non-objective forms, sculpture continues to attract our eyes and enrich our culture and lives.

During these lectures we will be introduced to the various forms and processes involved in creating this time honored art form. We will discuss, and students should understand the primary means of creating sculpture. From various given materials, to include: clay, wood and stone, to cast metals and on to the more contemporary style and process of assemblage, created of varied and dissimilar materials.

THE PRIMARY CLASSIFICATIONS AND PROCESSE OF SCULPTURE:

Modeling –  (additive process) Most often created out of clay or other malleable materials that can be formed and added to without breaking.

Carving –  (subtractive process) Created out solid materials such as stone or wood  that can be carved away to realize the form contained within.

Casting –  (replacement process)  A very intricate process where the base form, called the core, is generally created from clay (modeling) then covered with a wax skin that will be carved to create all surface detail. Then incased in a plaster mold in preparation of introducing molten metal which melts (lost wax replacement) and hardens into the final form for final clean up and detailing.

Additionally, we will look at  methods such as Earthworks, and the more contemporary forms of Assemblage and Installations.

Assemblage – Generally, non-representational sculpture assembled from differing and dissimilar materials.

Earthworks – Created on a designated site from surrounding materials that occur at that given site.

Installation – Primarily created in enclosed environments but can be installed in outdoor environments as well. Examples such as the Egyptian Sphinx and Serpent Mound located in northeastern North America date to antiquity can be considered as Earthworks as well as the contemporary, often temporary, work of the British artist, Andy Goldsworthy.

We will view a one-hour documentary on the work of the late, controversial environmental artists Christo Javachef and his wife Jeanne-Claude and their Running Fence project/installation. Students will have an extra-credit opportunity to write a review and personal reaction to and discussion of this installation.

Our topic of discussion today will pertain to our most basic human need of shelter and what we all call home. As with all utilitarian objects in our lives, form follows function, and we will follow that same axiom when it comes to architecture, as society’s needs advanced through the ages.

Of course, our living spaces will want to conform to our needs, as well as satisfying our inate desires to meet our aesthetic tastes. As we look at the earliest historic building technologies and how they developed through the ages, we will also visit popular historic styles and trends as they emerged through the decades and how they have contributed to meet our changing lifestyles as we merged into the modern era. We will be introduced to prominent architects of the 20th century such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles & Henry Greene, Richard Neutra and others who have helped define our world, and of the styles within which they worked. We will discuss and come to understand how these architects influence the world which we inhabit today. We will also be introduced to contemporary emerging technologies that  address today’s environmental concerns.

Terms and architectural features to familiarize yourself with include: Stack & Pile/Shell construction • Skeleton & skin construction • The Greek Orders in Greek column identification -(Doric – earliest, Ionic and Corinthian)   Roman and Gothic arches • Barrel / groin vaults • pendentives • Flying buttresses & piers.

All questions on the mid-term exam are from material we have discussed in lecture and covered in the three quizzes we have taken to date. Please study your corrected quizzes, study your vocabulary definitions contained in the announcements section of canvas and the important points outlined in each week’s canvas overview.
Also, review the enclosed PowerPoint presentations on your instructor’s website:  to view images (in addition to other pertinent images) that will be shown in the slides contained in the exam.

Ancient Mediterranean Worlds

This week we will start our journey through the ages and look at the development of art and culture starting with the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and middle eastern regions. We will look at the ancient artifacts of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Mediterranean based cultures, Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. We will examine the ways in which these early peoples history and cultures was expressed through their artisans.

Aspects of this lecture to be prepared with for quiz and final exam are: Identify which ancient civilization gave us the first form of writing in the form known as Cuneiform • How ancient Pharoahs were depicted in Egyptian statuary • Understand the description of a Mesopotamian ziggurat • What culture emphasized the afterlife • What period of Greek history Black/Red Figure vases are attributed to • What the most common subject matter of Greek statuary was •  That Byzantine churches mostly featured mosaic murals • Understand description of Byzantine Icons • Be prepared to understand and identify Cycladic sculpture • Understand and identify characteristics of Gothic architecture • Understand difference between ancient Greek statues known as Kouros and Korai • Identify what culture and under who’s rule the period known as the Amarna existed • Know the definition of hierarchical scale

This week’s lecture looks at the substantial impact and the advances in art that occurred in the 15th & 16th centuries during a period known as the Renaissance. We shall also look into the developments and art of the following Baroque era (17th & 18th centuries)

Aspects of this lecture to be familiar with and to know for exam purposes.  Know the five major advances in the realm of painting and drawing: development oil of paint & use of canvas & wood painting surfaces / discovery and use of linear perspective / Contrapasto stance/pose / Pyramidal compositional configuration / development and use of chiaroscuro (light logic) • Know the centuries that these periods occurred • Know the major artists of the Renaissance: Donatello / Bottecelli / Leonardo di Vinci / Michelangelo / Raphael / Titian • Know the main artists of the Baroque: Caravaggio / Rembrandt / Rubens / Vermeer / Bernini.

Arts of the Pacific, the Americas / The Impressionism movement

This week we travel from the European continent across the Pacific and into the Americas to look at various cultures that blossomed throughout the centuries and how the arts of these cultures served in their cultural rituals and traditions. We will then return to Europe to watch as Modernism takes artistic trends and thinking in new and revolutionary directions that will influence artists well into the coming centuries.

Aspects to know about for exam are the following: Ancient Aboriginal rock carvings • Easter Island statuary known as Moai • The significance of the Olmec culture and their most notable artifact • The Mayan culture and their prominent structures • The Incan culture, their central location and their best known ruins • That cultures of South America produced more precious metal artifacts than their Mesoamerican neighbors to the north • Who were the Hopewell/Adena people and what were they known for building? • What were the primary artifacts of the Plains tribes of North America • What distinguished the Anazai culture • What artistic creation were common ritualistic items in cultures all across the North American continent

Modernism:  New styles emerge and to be familiar with: Neo-Classicism / Romanticism / Realism / Impressionism • What was the primary interest of the Impressionist movement and what was the most notable aspect in the development of this style? • The main artists responsible for its development: Monet / Renoir / Degas.