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INTRODUCTION

Introduction
Gateways to Art:
Understanding the Visual Arts

Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2022 Thames & Hudson


INTRODUCTION

The Visual World


 Art communicates sensations,
ideas and emotions by visual
means; it is a form of language
 Think about any images you have
seen today
 What is art to you?

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Eduardo Kobra,
Etnias

0.0.1 Eduardo Kobra, Etnias, 2016, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


INTRODUCTION

Eduardo Kobra, Etnias


 This is a portion of the largest public
mural in the world, which is 30,000
sq. ft.
 Made for Summer Olympics, Rio de
Janeiro, 2016
 Features colorful portraits of
Indigenous people from five
continents
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

What is Art?
 CC
 Discuss following four works that
relate to water – different meanings
and styles

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Katsushika Hokusai,
Maple Leaves on a River
 Work no longer survives, if it ever
did
 Hokusai is said to have dipped a
chicken’s feet in red paint and let it
run across paper he had painted
blue
 Communicates sensation of leaves
and the flow of a river
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Marcia Smilack,
Cello Music

0.0.2 Marcia Smilack, Cello Music, 1992. Photograph, 12¾ × 24″. Collection of the artist
INTRODUCTION

Marcia Smilack,
Cello Music
 Captures essence of movement
 Photo of water evokes the sound
of a cello
 Synesthesia: stimulation in one
sense causes experience in a
different sense

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Thomas Cole,
The Oxbow

0.0.3 Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, 1836. Oil on canvas, 4′3½″ ×
6′4″. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
INTRODUCTION

Thomas Cole,
The Oxbow
 Cole founded the Hudson River
School – Romantic Americans
reflect pride in national expansion
 The Sublime, awe in power of
nature (storm passed)
 Smallness of man, artist shown in
lower center
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Hans Haake,
Condensation Cube

0.0.4 Hans Haacke, Condensation Cube, 1963–65. Clear acrylic, distilled water, and climate in area of display, 12 × 12 × 12″
INTRODUCTION

Hans Haacke,
Condensation Cube
 Work of art and science experiment
 Physical properties of water affected
by surroundings
 Box is a metaphor for museum
building and the water represents the
the art inside the museum
 Conceptually: emphasizes fragility of
art to environmental conditions
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Fine Art, Craft, and the


Commercial Arts
 The value that is placed on different
materials and types of art has
changed over time and has always
varied by location.
 Examples:
 Ancient Peru highly valued wool

 China considers calligraphy the

highest form of art


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Fine Art, Craft, and the


Commercial Arts (2)
 Craft
 The manual skill used to make the
work is emphasized
 In Europe, originally a negative

term, but these works are no longer


considered less valuable
 Includes furniture, textiles,

ceramics, glass making, etc.


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Fine Art, Craft, and the


Commercial Arts (3)
 Fine Art
 Phrase used to denote what Europe

in past centuries saw as the highest


forms of art
 Claimed to require more intellectual

effort as opposed to manual labor


 Includes painting, drawing, sculpture,

sometimes prints
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Fine Art, Craft, and the


Commercial Arts (4)
 Graphic design/commercial art:
 Books, posters, advertising,
television, social media, etc.
 Communication is emphasized

 Reproducible, intended for a large

audience

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Harriet Powers,
Bible Quilt

0.0.5 Harriet Powers, Bible Quilt, 1885–86. Cotton, 75 × 89″. National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C.
INTRODUCTION

Harriet Powers,
Bible Quilt
 Quilting considered craft in Europe
since Middle Ages, made by women
 Quilting popular artform in first
centuries of U.S.
 Harriet Powers born enslaved; sold
quilts to support her family when
they were free
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Harriet Powers,
Bible Quilt (cont.)
 Eleven panels show biblical stories
 Adam and Eve with serpent (upper
left)
 Satan and seven stars (upper right)

 Crucifixion (lower left)

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Frederic Lord
Leighton, Flaming June

0.0.6 Frederic Lord Leighton, Flaming June, 1895. Oil on canvas, 47½ × 47½″. Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
INTRODUCTION

Frederic Lord Leighton,


Flaming June
 Typical example of what was deemed
fine or “high” art
 Artist member of Royal Art Academy
of London
 Work recalls ancient Greece and
Renaissance, both greatly admired in
nineteenth-century Europe
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Federal Express logo

0.0.7 Federal Express logo


INTRODUCTION

Federal Express Logo


 Graphic design
 Identifies the company as a
dynamic, global organization
 White space between the E and X
forms an arrow
 Suggests speed and precision

 Chosen from 200 design concepts


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Where Is Art?
 Art can be found in many places
(e.g. a book, a logo, on your
computer screen)
 Public spaces (museums, parks,
places of worship, public
buildings)
 In use (tea bowls, masks,
reliquaries, etc.)
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Where Is Art? (2)


 What do museums do?
 Collect and exhibit art
 Conserve and preserve art

 Educational programs and

cultural events
 Provenance: studying the history

of ownership of works in their


collection
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Where Is Art? (3)


 Some works purchased or taken
during times of upheaval. Owners
asked to repatriate (return) works.
 Current controversies:
 Parthenon marbles

 Benin bronzes

 Art owned by Jews taken by Nazis

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Louvre Museum,
Paris, France.

0.0.8 Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Glass pyramid designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, 1998
INTRODUCTION

Louvre Museum,
Paris, France
 Originally a fortress, then a palace
 King’s collection became the
French people’s after the French
Revolution (1789-99)
 Many works at the Louvre were
acquired during Napoleonic Wars

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Metope of a
Lapith and centaur in combat,
Parthenon

3.1.25 Metope of a Lapith and centaur in combat, from the south side of the Parthenon, designed by Pheidias, c. 445 BCE.
Marble, height 52⅝″. British Museum, London, England
Artwork: Hon’ami Koetsu,
Tea Bowl

0.0.9 Hon’ami Koetsu, Tea bowl (called Mount Fuji), Edo period, early 17th century. Raku ware, height 3⅜″.
Sakai Collection, Tokyo, Japan
INTRODUCTION

Hon’ami Koetsu,
Tea bowl
 In Japan, ceramic tea bowls were
highly esteemed for their beauty
 Part of tea ceremony
 Designed to inspire contemplation
 Subtle texture and color

 Resembles Mount Fuji

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: The Virgin of
Guadalupe

0.0.10 The Virgin of


Guadalupe, 1531. Tempera
on linen. Basilica of St. Mary
of Guadalupe, Mexico City,
Mexico
INTRODUCTION

The Virgin of Guadalupe


 Catholic tradition: 1531, the Virgin
appeared to peasant Juan Diego
 Imprinted her image on his cloak

 Hangs in basilica of St. Mary of


Guadalupe in Mexico City
 Symbol of the Mexican Nation for
all citizens
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Art and Creativity


 Artists, trained and untrained,
share a creative impulse
 People naturally respond to
images and seek to express
themselves visually
 Consider the role of creativity in
your own life

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Judith Leyster,
Self-Portrait

0.0.11 Judith Leyster,


Self-Portrait, c. 1630.
National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
INTRODUCTION

Judith Leyster,
Self-Portrait
 Artist’s pose and style mimics the
violin player in the painting
 Made to demonstrate her skill for
acceptance as a master painter
into the Saint Luke’s Guild of
Haarlem

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Judith Leyster,
Self-Portrait (cont.)
 Male artists far outnumbered
female artists until the 20th century
 For centuries Leyster’s paintings
were attributed to her husband and
other male painters
 In 1893, the Louvre noticed her
monogram signature
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Who Makes Art?


 A single individual, a workshop who
helps a master artist, or community
artwork (such as temples or the
Colosseum) that involved many
 In the Middle Ages, art was
frequently made by monks or nuns
 It wasn’t until the Renaissance that
individual artists became famous
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Who Makes Art? (cont.)


 Training was passed down from a
skilled expert, first by guilds then in
academies
 Self-taught artists have been called
“naïve” or “outsider” artists
 A patron is a person or organization
that funds the making of a work of art

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: da Vinci, Mona Lisa

0.0.12 Leonardo da Vinci,


Mona Lisa, c. 1503–6. Oil on
wood, 30⅜ × 20⅞″. Musée du
Louvre, Paris, France
INTRODUCTION

Leonardo da Vinci,
Mona Lisa
 Made in an era and in a culture that
valued individual ingenuity
 Mysterious smile, gaze, and
landscape
 Portrait not simply a likeness: a
meditation on the human soul

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Van Gogh,
Starry Night

3.8.19 Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889. Oil on canvas, 29 × 36½″. MoMA, New York
INTRODUCTION

The Value of Art


 Value can refer to sale price
 Value can be based on the
personal way it affects people
 Art may be valued for its beauty or
the great skill involved in its
creation
 Art has the power to tell us about
the human condition
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Girl seeing Portrait
of Michelle Obama

Digital rights not available for this


image. See p. 24 of the textbook.

0.0.13 Photograph of Parker Curry looking at Amy Sherald’s Portrait of Michelle Obama, 2018.
INTRODUCTION

Girl seeing Portrait of


Michelle Obama
 Two-year old staring at painting of
Michelle Obama because she
looked like her and her family
 The painting holds value to the
child because it opens her mind to
possibilities of who she can be
 The photo has value to others who
see how the little girl is inspired
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Gustav Klimt,
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

0.0.14 Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907.


Oil and gold leaf on canvas, 54⅜ × 54⅜″. Neue Galerie, New York
INTRODUCTION

Gustave Klimt, Portrait of


Adele Bloch-Bauer I
 Some value this painting for its
rich materials and beauty
 The niece of sitter (one in the
portrait) values it because it shows
her aunt and it was taken from her
family by the Nazis
 People of Vienna see it as a
symbol of their city
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Gustave Klimt, Portrait of


Adele Bloch-Bauer I (cont.)
 Nazis stole painting from Adele’s
Jewish widower
 After war, painting returned to
museum in Vienna
 In 2006, painting was awarded to
niece after lawsuit
 It was then sold to Neue Galerie in
New York City
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Bansky,
Love is in the Bin

0.0.17 Banksy, Love Is in the


Bin, 2018. Aerosol paint,
acrylic paint, canvas, board, 40
× 31 × 7″. Originally titled Girl
with Balloon, 2006, shredded
October 5, 2018 at a live
Sotheby’s auction in London,
England
INTRODUCTION

Bansky,
Love is in the Bin
 Banksy’s work was sold at
Sotheby’s auction for $1.4 million
 After it was purchased, it began to
slide through the bottom of the
frame shredding itself
 The audience was shocked but
now it is considered a work of
Performance Art
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Bansky,
Love is in the Bin (cont.)
 Banksy had hidden a shredder in
the frame
 The destruction of his work was to
criticize the commercialism of the
art market
 The value of the shredded artwork
is now double that of its purchase
price
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Loongkoonan,
Bush Tucker Nyikina Country

0.0.15 Loongkoonan, Bush


Tucker Nyikina Country,
2006. Acrylic on canvas, 35⅛ ×
35⅛″. Collection of Diane and
Dan Mossenson, Perth,
Western Australia
INTRODUCTION
Perspectives on Art:

The Value of Art to


Keep Alive Knowledge
and Culture
 Artist is Australian Aboriginal who
started painting in her nineties
 Her paintings depict the landscape
of her region of Western Australia

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Loongkoonan at
work in her studio

0.0.16 Loongkoonan at work in her studio in Derby, Western Australia, 2007


INTRODUCTION

Power and the


Social Role of Art
 Art has the power to reflect social
issues
 Art can be a form of protest
 Art can inspire discussion or
social change

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: George Floyd mural

0.0.18 Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrera, and Greta McLain, with Niko Alexander and Pablo Hernandez, George Floyd, 2020.
Mural, 20 × 6.5 ft. Minneapolis, Minnesota
INTRODUCTION

George Floyd mural


 In 2021, police officer Derek
Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s
murder
 Painted at the location of his death
 Designed as a memorial and a hub
for protests
 Community Art – painted for the
public by many artists
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

George Floyd mural


(cont.)
 Letters of Floyd’s name are filled
with blue figures raising arms
 “I can breathe now” below his
portrait refers to Floyd saying he
couldn’t breathe before he died
 Behind him are names of other
African Americans whose deaths
are blamed on police officers
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Keith Haring,
Ignorance=Fear

0.0.19 Keith Haring, Ignorance = Fear, 1989. Poster, 24 × 43 ¼″. Keith Haring Foundation
INTRODUCTION

Keith Haring,
Ignorance=Fear
 Posters hung in New York City
 Haring defended the rights of
LGBTQ+, who were often blamed
for the AIDS epidemic
 Many incorrectly thought the HIV
virus (that causes AIDS) could only
be caught through homosexual
behavior or drug use
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Keith Haring,
Ignorance=Fear (cont.)
 Poster shows three figures with
x’s: one covers its eyes, one
covers its ears, one covers its
mouth
 Promotes people educating
themselves about the disease
 Criticism of those who saw the
disease as divine punishment
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Ai Weiwei,
Remembering

0.0.20a Ai Weiwei, Remembering, 2009. Backpacks and metal armature,


30′4″ × 347′11″ × 4″. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany
Artwork: Ai Weiwei,
Remembering (detail)

0.0.20b Ai Weiwei, Remembering (detail), 2009. Backpacks and metal armature,


30′4″ × 347′11″ × 4″. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany
INTRODUCTION

Ai Weiwei,
Remembering
 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei uses art to
criticize Chinese Communist Party
 He has been imprisoned and
beaten by Chinese government
 He is currently exiled from China

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Ai Weiwei,
Remembering (2)
 An earthquake in 2008 killed 49,000
people and left 4.8m homeless, but
the Chinese government tried to
hide that it happened
 Over 5,000 children died and Ai
Weiwei gathered their names and
posted them on his blog
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Ai Weiwei,
Remembering (3)
 The artwork memorializes the
children and is made of blue,
yellow and red backpacks
 It reads, ”She lived happily for
seven years in this world,” which a
mother said to Ai Weiwei about her
daughter who died in the
earthquake
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Mona Hatoum,
Present Tense

0.0.21 Mona Hatoum,


Present Tense, 1996
(detail). Installation photo,
Mona Hatoum exhibition,
Room 5, Tate Modern,
London, UK, 4 May–21
August, 2016
INTRODUCTION

Mona Hatoum,
Present Tense
 Made of 2,200 blocks of a kind of
soap integral to economics of the
Palestinians
 Borders made of red glass beads
identify the territories given to
Palestinians in 1993 Oslo Accords
 Soap, which can be washed away,
symbolizes fragility of borders
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Mona Hatoum,
Present Tense (cont.)
 “Present” refers to:
Stating of information

 Current moment in time

 “Tense” refers to:


 Past, present, future

 Degree of anxiety

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art
 Art is a powerful form of language
 There are many ways to interpret a
work of art
 Content: the meaning or message
 By learning to see, we experience
new sensations and ideas

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art:
Subject Matter
 Subject matter
May be visually apparent

 Given by the title chosen by the

artist
 Told to us by critics and scholars

 Sometimes the subject matter is


not clear
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art:
Subject Matter (cont.)
 Continuum of Abstraction
 Representational: depicts
recognizable subject matter
 Abstraction: degree to which

representational work is
distorted or simplified
 Non-objective: depicts subject

matter that is unrecognizable


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Michelangelo, Pietà

0.0.22 Michelangelo, Pietà,


1498–99. Carrara marble,68½
× 76¾″. St. Peter’s Basilica,
Vatican City, Rome, Italy
INTRODUCTION

Michelangelo, Pietà
 Representational
 Recognizable as a woman
holding an adult man in her lap
 Do not need to understand the

meaning to be representational
 Content: Pietà is Mary mourning

the death of her son Jesus


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Eva Hesse,
Untitled (Rope Piece)

0.0.23 Eva Hesse, Untitled (Rope Piece), 1969–70. Latex, rope, string, and wire, dimensions variable.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
INTRODUCTION

Eva Hesse,
Untitled (Rope Piece)
 Non-objective
 Unrecognizable subject matter
 Subjective: individual viewer

creates his or her own


interpretation

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Aaron Douglas,
Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery
Through Reconstruction

3.9.24 Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery Through Reconstruction, 1934. Oil on canvas, 57¾ × 108¼″.
The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York
Artwork: Allan Houser,
Reverie

0.0.24 Allan Houser,


Reverie, 1981. Bronze, 25 ×
23 × 13″, edition of 10. Allan
Houser Archives
INTRODUCTION

Allan Houser, Reverie


 Representational
Can identify two faces

 Size of faces and positioning of

forms suggest mother and child


 High degree of abstraction
 More abstract than Michelangelo’s
Pietà
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork:
Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas

1.10.12a Diego de
Silva y Velázquez,
Las Meninas, c. 1656.
Oil on canvas, 10′5¼″
× 9′¾″. Museo
Nacional del Prado,
Madrid, Spain
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art:
Context
 Researching an artwork’s context
can help us understand it more fully,
even when it is non-objective
 Context includes:
 Society that produced the artwork

 Economics and religion

 Details of the patron

 Biography of the artist


Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Eva Hesse,
Untitled (Rope Piece) (cont.)
 Hesse diagnosed with brain tumor
 Ropes look like insides of human
body, such as intestines or veins
 Used latex in the work, which feels
like skin and used in doctor gloves
 She described this work as
representing chaos of life and death;
died year this was made
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art:
Formal Analysis
 Examining arrangement of visual
elements and principles of a work
helps to analyze its content
 A Formal Analysis of Las Meninas
by Diego Velázquez can be found
in Chapter 1.10 Engaging with
Form and Content, p.70-71
 A video with a formal analysis of
Las Meninas is on the video slides
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Studying Art:
Formal Analysis (cont.)
 Elements (the vocabulary of art):
color, form, line, mass, shape,
space, texture, time and motion,
value, volume
 Principles (the grammar of art):
balance, contrast, emphasis, focal
point, pattern, proportion, rhythm,
scale, unity, variety
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Organization of
Gateways to Art
 Part 1: Fundamentals. Elements
and principles and formal analysis
 Part 2: Media and Processes
 Part 3: History and Context
 Part 4: Themes
 All works of art can be studied
through any of these four lenses.
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION
To learn more about understanding the visual arts, explore these videos and panoramas:
Video:
Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas

Video:

Thomas Cole, The Oxbow

Video:
The Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Video:
Vincent van Gogh in His Own Words

Video:

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night

Video:
Teahouse at the Asian Art Museum

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Panorama:
The Louvre (inner courtyard),
Paris, France

Video:
Michelangelo, Sculpture

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
INTRODUCTION

Introductory Chapter
Copyright Information
This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for the Introduction

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts


Fourth Edition
By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields

Copyright © 2022 Thames & Hudson

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INTRODUCTION

Picture Credits for Introduction


0.0.1 Photo Studio Kobra Collection© Kobra/DACS, London 2022
0.0.2 Courtesy Marcia Smilack
0.0.3 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1908, 08.228
0.0.4 Photo Hans Haacke. Courtesy the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. © Hans Haacke/DACS 2022
0.0.5 Division of Cultural and Community Life, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C.
0.0.6 Photo The Maas Gallery, London/ Bridgeman Images
0.0.7 © 2015 FedEx Corporation. All Rights Reserved
0.0.8 Photo Charles Platiau/Reuters/ Alamy Stock Photo
0.0.9 Sakai Collection, Tokyo
3.1.25 British Museum, London
0.0.10 Robert Harding Picture Library/agefotostock.com
0.0.11 National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss. Courtesy National
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
0.0.12 Musée du Louvre, Paris
0.0.13 Photo Ben Hines. Artwork © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
3.8.19 Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, 472.1941. Photo 2012,
Museum of Modern Art, New York/ Scala, Florence
0.0.14 Photo Erich Lessing/akg-images
0.0.15 Collection of Diane and Dan Mossenson, Perth, Western Australia. © Mossenson Galleries and the artist
0.0.16 Photo Diane Mossenson.© Mossenson Galleries
0.0.17 Courtesy of Pest Control Office, Banksy, Love Is in the Bin, 2018
0.0.18 Photo Kerem Yucel/ AFP via Getty Images
0.0.19 Keith Haring artwork © Keith Haring Foundation

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INTRODUCTION

Picture Credits for Introduction


0.0.20a, 0.0.20b Photos © Jens Weber. Artwork © Ai Weiwei Studio.
0.0.21 Photo © Tate (Andrew Dunkley). © Mona Hatoum
0.0.22 Photo Manuel Cohen/ Scala, Florence
0.0.23 Whitney Museum of American Art, New York purchased with funds from Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Mrs.
Percy Uris Purchase Fund, and the Painting and Sculpture Committee, 88.17a-b. © The Estate of Eva
Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
3.9.24 New York Public Library/Aaron Douglas/ Science Photo Library. © Heirs of Aaron Douglas/VAGA at ARS,
NY and DACS, London 2022
0.0.24 Allan Houser archives © Chiinde LLC
1.10.12a Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

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