What is anthropology?
Pop Art appreciates popular culture, or what we
Anthropology is the scientific study of the origins of
humans, how we have changed over the years, and
how we relate to each other, both within our own
culture and with people from other cultures.
Anthrōpos is the Greek word for “human being,”
and the suffix -logy means “the study of.” The study
of human beings, that’s anthropology. Every culture
has its own particular rituals, behaviors, and
lifestyles, and people in the field of anthropology
document the many varieties of human experience.
Art is Anthropology
The anthropology of art studies and analyses the
wide range of material objects produced by people
around the world. These are considered not merely
as aesthetic objects but are understood to play a
wider role in people's lives, for instance in their
beliefs and rituals. The materials studied include
sculpture, masks, paintings, textiles, baskets, pots,
weapons, and the human body itself.
Anthropologists are interested in the symbolic
meanings encoded in such objects, as well as in
the materials and techniques used to produce
them.
The anthropology of art overlaps with art history,
aesthetics, material culture studies, and visual
anthropology.
History of Anthropology of Art
Aboriginal art has been the focus of some important
anthropological studies of Indigenous peoples—
Mountford (1958, 1961), Berndt (1971), Munn
(1973), Morphy (1991), Taylor (1996) and Watson
(2003) among them—even though it has been
argued that ‘art’ objects have received little
attention from anthropologists for much of the
twentieth century. The reason, explains Morphy, is
due partly to problems with the definition of art—the
applicability of the concept cross-culturally—and
due partly to neglect of material culture by
anthropologists.
Anthropological studies of art provide useful
antidotes to a number of tendencies in art-historical
analysis. They challenge models of changes in
style that regard naturalistic representation as the
pinnacle of achievement; the tendency to map
artistic culture areas without reference to the social
functions of art; and the focus on artists or schools
of artists in isolation from their place in a wider
community.
Pop Art
Pop Art is a distinctive genre of art that first
“popped” up in post-war Britain and America.
Primarily characterized by an interest in popular
culture and imaginative interpretations of
commercial products, the movement ushered in a
new and accessible approach to art. Ranging from
quirky to critical, the pieces produced by Pop artists
in the 1950s and 1960s commented on
contemporaneous life and events.
History of Pop-art
Pop Art was born in Britain in the mid-1950s. It was
the brain-child of several young subversive artists—
as most modern art tends to be. The first
application of the term Pop Art occurred during
discussions among artists who called themselves
the Independent Group (IG), which was part of the
Institute of Contemporary Art in London, begun
around 1952–53.
also call “material culture.” It does not critique the
consequences of materialism and consumerism; it
simply recognizes its pervasive presence as a
natural fact.
Key Characteristics of Pop Art
There are several readily recognizable
characteristics that art critics use to define pop art:
• Recognizable imagery, drawn from popular
media and products.
• Usually very bright colors.
• Flat imagery influenced by comic books and
newspaper photographs.
• Images of celebrities or fictional characters
in comic books, advertisements, and fan
magazines.
• In sculpture, an innovative use of media.
Famous pop art artist and their works
#10 STILL LIFE
Artist: Tom Wesselmann
Year: 1962
Among the most popular works in pop art is the Still
Life series by Wesselmann. This work (Still Life
#30) is a combination of painting, sculpture and
collage of commercial labels Tom found on the
street.
#9 ON THE BALCONY
Artist: Peter Blake
Year: 1955 – 1957
An iconic piece of British pop art, ‘On the Balcony’
combines images of pop culture with fine art. The
work appears to be a collage but is wholly painted.
Among other things, it shows a boy holding
Edouard Manet’s The Balcony; badges; and
magazines.
Sir Peter Thomas Blake (born 25 June 1932) is an
English pop artist, best known for co-creating the
sleeve design for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band. His other best known
works include the cover of the Band Aid single "Do
They Know It's Christmas?", and the Live Aid
concert poster.Blake also designed the 2012 Brit
Award statuette.
#8 I WAS A RICH MAN’S PLAYTHING
Artist: Eduardo Paolozzi
Year: 1947
This collage is considered the initial standard
bearer of “pop art” and first to display the word
“pop”. The biggest collage element takes up the top
two thirds of the work. It is the cover of a magazine
called ‘Intimate Confessions’
#7 FLAG
Artist: Jasper Johns
Year: 1954 – 1955
John’s selection of the US flag as his subject
allowed him to explore a familiar two-dimensional
object, with its simple internal geometric structure
and a complex symbolic meaning. The painting
remains John’s best known work.
#6 JUST WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES TODAY’S
HOMES SO DIFFERENT, SO APPEALING?
Artist: Richard Hamilton
Year: 1956
This collage consisting of images taken from
American magazines was the first work of pop art
to reach iconic status.
Just what is it that makes today's homes so
different, so appealing? was created in 1956 for the
catalogue of the exhibition This Is Tomorrow in
London, England in which it was reproduced in
black and white. In addition, the piece was used in
posters for the exhibit. Hamilton and his friends
John McHale and John Voelcker had collaborated
to create the room that became the best-known
part of the exhibition.
Hamilton subsequently created several works in
which he reworked the subject and composition of
the pop art collage, including a 1992 version
featuring the female bodybuilder Bernie Price.
#5 DROWNING GIRL
Artist: Roy Lichtenstein
Year: 1963
Considered a cornerstone of Lichtenstein’s work,
Drowning Girl is sometimes also referred to as ‘I
Don’t Care! I’d Rather Sink’. The printing method
and the use of speech balloon to convey thoughts
give the painting an appearance of a comic book
page. The heroine appears a victim of an unhappy
love affair who would rather drown than ask for her
lover’s help.
#4 A BIGGER SPLASH
Artist: David Hockney
Year: 1967
This famous painting by Hockney depicts a splash
in a swimming pool besides a modern house. ‘A
Bigger Splash’ was created with meticulous care,
simplifying but enlarging his earlier paintings
entitled “A Little Splash” (1966) and “The Splash”
(1966).
#3 CAMPBELL’S SOUP CANS
Artist: Andy Warhol
Year: 1962
Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans is the work of art
that led to pop art becoming a major art movement
in the USA. The non-painterly style and the
commercial subject of the painting initially caused
offence as it affronted the technique and philosophy
of abstract expressionism, the then dominant style
in the United States. The resulting debates on the
merits and ethics of such work made Andy Warhol
the leading and most well-known pop artist.
#2 WHAAM!
Artist: Roy Lichtenstein
Year: 1963
‘Whaam!’ “documents while it gently parodies the
familiar hero images of modern America.” The
painting is noted for combing brilliant colour and
narrative situation. It is regarded as one of the
finest and most notable works by Lichtenstein.
#1 MARILYN DIPTYCH
Artist: Andy Warhol
Year: 1962
Marilyn Monroe died in August 1962. In the
following weeks, Warhol made this masterpiece
which contains fifty images of Marilyn, all based on
the same publicity photograph from the 1953 film
Niagara. Considered an iconic symbol of pop art,
Marilyn Diptych was named the third most
influential piece of modern art in a survey by The
Guardian.
Dance and Culture
Definition of Culture
• It is the characteristics and knowledge of a
particular group of people, encompassing
language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and
arts.
• "Culture encompasses religion, food, what
we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage,
music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit
at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave
with loved ones, and a million other things," Cristina
De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and
Southgate College in London, told Live Science.
Dance
• Dance is a type of art that generally involves
movement of the body, often rhythmic and to
music. It is performed in many cultures as a form of
emotional expression, social interaction, or
exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and
is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story.
• Dance can also depend on social and
cultural norms and aesthetic, artistic and moral
sensibilities.
Asian Traditional Dance
The diverse cultural, religious and traditions of the
Asian countries are reflected not only in their
lifestyles but also in their dances. Each country in
Asia has several indigenous and ethnic groups
within its own country. These groups have their
own unique identities and traditions, which are also
visible in their dances. These create several
dancing diversities for each country.
Cross-cultural Traditions in Southeast Asian
Dances
• Throughout the history of the development
of dance in Southeast Asia, there have been
several natural factors, socio-cultural influences,
and historical developments that helped shape the
various dance forms and styles in the region.
• Southeast Asian dances are artistic or
creative expressions of the people of the region.
• Throughout the long history of Southeast
Asia, these dances have been performed by
dancers, folk people, court ladies, shamans and
stage performers to express ideas, feelings,
aspirations and stories. Many of these dances are
part of the life cycle of the community or society,
others are created to entertain or educate an
audience (ASEAN - Committee on Culture and
Information, 2015).
DIFFERENT GENRE OF DANCE
Ballet - serves as a backbone for many other styles
of dance, as many other dance genres are based
on ballet. Ballet is based on techniques that have
been developed over centuries. Ballet uses music
and dance to tell stories.
Tap dancing - is an exciting form of dance in which
dancers wear special shoes equipped with metal
taps. Tap dancers use their feet like drums to
create rhythmic patterns and timely beats.
Jazz - is a fun dance style that relies heavily on
originality and improvisation. Many jazz dancers
mix different styles into their dancing, incorporating
their own expression. Jazz dancing often uses bold,
dramatic body movements, including body
isolations and contractions.
Hip-hop - is a dance style, usually danced to hip-
hop music, which evolved from the hip-hop culture.
Hip-hop includes various moves such as breaking,
popping, locking and krumping, and even house
dance. Improvisation and personal interpretation
are essential to hip-hop dancing.
Modern dance - is a dance style that rejects many
of the strict rules of classical ballet, focusing
instead on the expression of inner feelings. Modern
dance was created as a rebellion against classical
ballet, emphasizing creativity in choreography and
performance.
The Elements of Dance
• The foundational concepts and vocabulary
that help students develop movement skills and
understand dance as an artistic practice.
I. Body: A. Body parts: Inner - Muscles, bones,
joints, heart, & lungs (breath) Outer - head,
shoulders, arms, hands, back, rib cage, hips, legs,
& feet. B. Body moves: Non loco motor – stretch,
bend, twist, circle, rise, collapse, swing, sway, &
shake. C. Body steps: Loco motor – Walk, run,
leap, hop, jump, gallop, skip, slide, chasse, pas de
bourre, leap, etc.
II. Space: The unlimited area in which the universe
exists. In dance, space is the relationship of the
body and the surroundings which make up design.
A. Shape: Body design in space
B. Level: Low – lying down, sitting, & crawling.
Middle – Kneeling, standing with bent knees (plie),
and standing. High – On the ball of the foot (releve)
or an elevation of the floor. Combination of levels at
once.
C. Direction: Forward, backward, sideward,
diagonal, turning, zigzag, square, arc, etc.
D. Range: The size of movement that the body can
create – Small, medium, big, or a combination of
the three.
E. Floor pattern: A design made on the floor tracing
the pattern of the dancer’s movement. The pathway
either curved or straight.
F. Focus: Direction of gaze. G. Planes: The flat
surfaces of the body using three dimensions –
Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, & a combination of
the three.
H. Design in space: The outline of a dancer or
group of dancers’ bodies in space. Balance –
Symmetrical, if the design is exactly balanced.
Asymmetrical, if irregular in design or off balance.
Group movement – In unison, opposition, or
succession.
III. Time: A. Tempo – The rate of speed with which
a series of movements is performed.
Adagio – slow, Andante – moderately, Allegro –
fast or brisk, & Presto – fast/at once.
B. Rhythm – The steady underlying beat or pulse.
C. Accent – Force or a stressed beat (something
that stands out).
D. Duration – Long or short.
IV. Dynamics or Force: The amount of energy
expended in the body.
A. Attack – Sharp or smooth.
B. Weight – Heavy or light.
C. Strength – Tight or loose.
D. Flow – Free flowing, bound, or balanced.
V. Compositional Form: The combination of
elements, which give structure to a dance.
A. Elements of form: Unity, contrast, repetition,
transition, variation, development, climax,
resolution, balance, proportion, sequence, or
harmony.
B. Sequential form: compositions in which sections
follow each other according the definite order. 1.
Two part AB.
2. Three part ABA.
3. Theme and variations.
4. Free form.
VI. Sources: For movements may come from
subjects, titles, ideas, feelings, moods, and
communications.
VII. Arranging a dance: Putting together a routine or
composition by arranging basic steps and
movements already choreographed.
VIII. Choreographing a dance: Creating an original
composition by experimenting with movement to
vary movement in new ways.