TASK 1
• Choose 1 artwork contained in the available museums based on the following reasons:
1. Select art you enjoy because of the way it looks = aesthetics
2. Each choice has to be from a different time period and movement
3. Record the site/link, the title and the artist of each of the 3 pieces you select
4. Research to find out more about the artist and the piece itself
• web-search
• textbook
• the actual museum site
Colossal Statue of Ramses II from Heracleopolis, Egypt, Middle Kingdom (1980-1630 BCE)
http://exhibit.juncanoo.com/p/highlights-of-the-galleries/upper%20egyptian%20gallery/
http://www.penn.museum/blog/collection/125th-anniversary-object-of-the-day/seated-statue-of-ramesses-ii-object-of-the-day-113/
TASK 2
• Art associated with an early civilization:
1. What is the purpose of the artwork you see in the textbook? (why was it created?)
2. Location created? (place?) Time in history?(context)
3. What was the changing value system of the society (people) who created it? (what did they value in religion and philosophy?)
4. Materials and tools available (technology) (what kind of tools did they use? why?)
5. Influences –was the artist who made the artwork aware of ANY other art made before the creation of their artwork? How did that affect how the content of the art?
The purpose of this sculpture was to honor the ruler of a society that focuses on the belief of life after death. The statue portrays the king in a traditional rigid and royal pose. The value system of the culture was an idea that the royal families were the Egyptian’s gods, and the journey to the after-life. They valued the after-life so much that most of the effort in everyday existence was preparatory work for their ruler’s burial and gravesite. Artistically it has features such as accurate human anatomy, but also appears geometric and rigid. It was created in Egypt in about 1980-1630 b.c.. Egyptian sculpture was characterized by compact, solid structured figures that embodied the qualities of strength and geometric clarity. The technology although not too advanced by today’s standards was clearly impressive. They were able to build these sculptures very accurately and from the hardest of materials using only bronze chisels and “low” tech carving methods. The Egyptians also created the pyramids very geometrical and without mortar, and building techniques changed very little.
As far as influence, they were aware of Asian cultures but kept mostly isolated geographically and in tradition. Characteristics of Egyptian sculpture are: sometimes in the round but also, sometimes relief, other traditional characteristics include: very stiff in form; sometimes a reference to movement with one foot in front of the other; no facial expression; and a pleasing union of naturalistic and abstracted features. When looking at the centuries of Egyptian art, it all looks similar with very little change in portrayal of the body and attention to craftsmanship. This makes sense when upon research- knowledge of how to properly make “art” was handed down to ear artisan with very little room for change because of the traditions and unchanging belief system in the culture.
TASK 2 Partial example if selected artwork is from an art movement:
• Art associated with a movement:
1. What was that particular movement a reaction to? what was going on in society (previous art movements) and the world at that time? What typoes of revolutions were going on? scientific ? industrial?
2. What are the specific goals of the art movement you see (what were the artist trying to question or do differently?)
3. What are the specific visual qualities/characteristics of the movement?
(image not needed for task 2 – for example purpose here)
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/ryb.jpg
Piet Mondrian Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue
1921; Oil on canvas
Mondrian’s work and style comes from the Dutch movement De Stijl. De Stijl originated from a group of artist/architects that wanted to produce a “plastic art” – art that “wanted to express a new utopia of harmony and order”. The artists reacted and wanted to get away from all the emotion and meaning in art from movements such as DADA, surrealism, and expressionism. Society had been corrupted by beliefs and politics and war, artists wanted to get away from all these things and get to the pure sense of thought and order. Some of the goals of the art from this movement were simplicity, and pure color and line/form. No other stimuli were needed because it was wasteful and separated humans. Purity and non-representation can be understood by “all”. Piet Mondrian was the main artist acknowledged for this movement that used characteristics such as primary colors/geometric shapes and lines. Combinations of all the elements were used with little changes along with very simple titles as to not instill meaning or complex thought in to the artwork. In the early 1900s in Europe when the movement came about, again – artists wanted to escape to a simpler/non emotional way of art due to all the horrors of WWI and political turmoil in Europe. This movement has also produced architecture/furniture with the same ideals.
Go on to the other 2 selected artworks and do tasks 1-2
(3 selections total)
TASK 3
The Formal Analysis
Write a formal analysis for 1 of the artworks selected:
In a paragraph describe each artwork using 10 of the bold type vocabulary words covered in Ch 1 and 2: (Textbook needed for reference)
Ch 1 FUNDAMENTALS
1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast
1.2 Three-Dimensional Art: Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
1.3 Implied Depth: Value and Space
1.4 Color
1.5 Time and Motion
1.6 Unity, Variety, and Balance
1.7 Scale and Proportion
1.8 Emphasis and Focal Point
1.9 Pattern and Rhythm
1.10 Content and Analysis
EXPLAIN why and how you see each term in your selected artwork –EXPLAIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE – explain as if you are speaking a blind person – also in your own words give the definition of the vocabulary word as you are using it and applying it. Use bold and underlined font on each word as you are using them in your analysis.
Performing a short 10 vocabulary word forma analysis of Colossal Statue of Ramses II from Heracleopolis, Egypt, Middle Kingdom (1980-1630 BCE).
http://exhibit.juncanoo.com/p/highlights-of-the-galleries/upper%20egyptian%20gallery/
http://www.penn.museum/blog/collection/125th-anniversary-object-of-the-day/seated-statue-of-ramesses-ii-object-of-the-day-113/
Viewing the sculpture from the front as in the photo, vertical lines are the most evident. Vertical lines are lines that appear to be moving up or down in a composition. As in the sculpture the geometric pedestal and the vertical line of the legs from the foot to the knee moves my eye upwards. There is another vertical line in the center of the sculpture between the legs and then in the abdomen of the figure. The toes do create actual line which is a physical line in the composition- it also produces a rhythm at the bottom of the sculpture which is a repetition of a shape or design element. The color of the sculpture is a neutral color – gray which an earthy color with low contrast and is the natural color of the stone. The color does not make any element stand out or convey any strong sense of emotion. This idea can be described as the color is in subordination and the figure and the form is what is most important becoming the focal point in which the artist wants the viewer to concentrate. The sculpture has both high relief such as in the areas of the head and the torso and legs where more than half the circumference of the form is standing out and then and low relief such as the hieroglyphics and the implied fingers and toes where less than half of the circumference of the form is standing out. In closing the last observation is the closed form quality of the sculpture. Aside from the incidental open areas where broken arms are, the figure and the pedestal are one with no activation of the space inside or around the sculpture.