ART HISTORY AND CRITICISM This is an entry-level course for the High School Visual Arts Core Curriculum. It is designed to provide an overview and appreciation of the Visual Arts. With an overview of studio production, this course is designed to develop higher-level thinking, art-related technology skill, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. The prerequisite for this course is Foundations I or II. TEXTBOOK: Discovering Art History, Davis Publishing ISBN 0-87192-719-5 STUDENT ACTIVIES WILL INCLUDE: Reading text Writing and answering questions in an art journal Art production MATERIALS: Art journal Module 2: Standards covered: Making, Perceiving,, and Making Students will assemble and create works of art, manipulate art media, and organize images with the elements and principles of art. Perceiving Students will find meaning by analyzing, criticizing, and evaluating works of art. Students will create meaning in art Students will find meaning in works of art through settings and other modes of learning. *Note to the student, it is important to look at the images/charts and read their captions. Also, pay attention to the main and sub headings. These suggestions will help you more fully understand the text and gain an understanding of art history and criticism. 1
Chapter 9: THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE Renaissance means rebirth. In the early 1400s, a cultural rebirth created a period of intense artistic activity throughout Europe that would last for 200 years. Leaders in this artistic flowering lived in the city of Florence. Florence was dominated by the Medici, a powerful family who were great patrons of the arts. The Florentine artists, fueled by a renewed interest in the ancient Roman and Greeks as well as in science and math, created a city of extraordinary beauty. Though magnificent sculpture and architecture were produced, painting dominated the art of the Renaissance. The High Renaissance was a very short period in Rome and Venice. The primary center was Rome, where popes commissioned the artists and is probably some of the best-known in the world. Mannerism is the name for a transitional period which fell between the end of the High Renaissance and the beginning of the Baroque period. Mannerism is more a grouping of various individual artists styles than a single style. Early Renaissance High Renaissance Mannerism Activity: Read chapter 9 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-4 and Interpret questions 1-5. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 9 Objective C: Evaluate the impact of art on life outside of school. Examine careers related to art history. 2
Chapter 10: RENAISSANCE IN THE NORTH The Renaissance that had so inspired Italian painters occurred not only in Italy, but in all of Europe. In Northern Europe, however, the style of the Renaissance painters was rather different from their Italian counterparts. Northern artists, especially those from Belgium and Holland (the Low Countries), used everyday objects to render their highly symbolic religious subject matter. There was great attention to detail. But the innovation that had the greatest impact during this period was oil paint. The new medium tremendously expanded the use of color and light, and Northern Renaissance artists used it to its full advantage. In the sixteenth century, Germany became the art center of Northern Europe. German artists were strongly individualistic, much like their contemporaries in Italy. In England and France, painters preferred to continue with the International style that had its roots in the Gothic era. Renaissance architecture did flourish in France with the construction of many chateaux. The great wealth of Spain drew many artists to its court. Philip II built monuments and commissioned works in a manner similar to the Medici and the popes in Italy. The Low Countries Germany England, France and Spain Activity: Read chapter 10 and in your art journal answer Chapter Review questions 1-3 and do Electronic Learning tasks 1 and 3. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 10 3
Chapter 11: BAROQUE AND ROCOCO It was about 1600 when Rome emerged again as the center of the art world. The church remained all-powerful, continuing to patronize art and commission artists from all over Italy. From this hotbed of creative talent, the exuberant, emotional Baroque style was born and spread through Europe. Throughout the 1600s, Europe was filled with an energy that inspired the production of hundreds of great paintings and sculptures and scores of architectural masterpieces. From the magnificent palace at Versailles to the world-famous canvases of Rembrandt and Rubens, Europe has seldom seen a century of such intense and widespread activity. In the 1700s, Rococo made its first appearance in France. Its charm and lightheartedness contrasted with the power and seriousness of the Baroque. This new style was not popular in all of Europe. The English and their American colonies preferred the more serious nature of the Baroque and extended the life of that style into the later 1700s. The late 1700s was a time of great change in Europe and America. The beginning of the industrial revolution, along with the democratic revolutions in France and America, would begin the period we consider the modern era. In this Chapter you will learn: The Baroque in Italy and Germany The Baroque in France The Baroque in Flanders and Holland The Baroque in Spain The Early Eighteenth Century Activity: Read chapter 11 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-5 and Interpretation questions 1 and 2. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 11 4
Chapter 12: THREE OPPOSING VIEWS During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, tremendous shifts took place in the Western world. Life s tempo was speeding up and during this relatively short period, three very different styles dominated. These were Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism. Neoclassicism had its base in France, which was ruled by the dictator Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon s taste in art was severe. He did not like the frivolity of the Baroque and Rococo styles and favored the more Classical approach of ancient Greece and Rome. Napoleon s word on everything was law. This same reaction to Baroque and Rococo was beginning to be felt all over the Continent and as far away as America. Neoclassicism had such a firm hold on the Western world that it seemed unlikely that anything would budge it. However, some artists, irritated with the restrictions of Classicism, started working in a more emotional way. This approach, called Romanticism, had a huge impact on all the arts. Neoclassicism looked toward the past while Romanticism dwelt in the realm of the imagination. Artists who resisted these two movements focused on direct experience, painting what they saw, pleasant or unpleasant. These artists were the Realists. The nineteenth century also saw the rise of photography as an art form. Neoclassicism Romanticism Realism Photography Activity: Read chapter 12 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-4 and Interpretation question 1. Also do Electronic Learning activity 1. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 12 5
Chapter 13: IMPRESSIONISM AND POST-IMPRESSIONISM In the second half of the 1800s, a tremendous change in art occurred in France. A whole new style of painting developed, called Impressionism. The new style revolutionized painting all over Europe. Since then, it has become one of the most popular and beloved stylistic periods in the history of Western art. Impressionists were interested in color and developed a fascination with the effect of light on color. Their goal was to create a spontaneous rendering, a quick, light-filled, colorful impression of what was in front of them. After about fifteen years, some artists wanted more than these quick impressions. The Post- Impressionists, as they were called, were still interested in light and color but also wanted to incorporate more traditional values of design and composition into their work. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Paris continued to be the art center of the world. Artists in other countries were also producing excellent work, often different from Parisian styles. These artists frequently focused on the bleak conditions they saw around them. They were at the forefront of the Expressionist movement. A greater fluidity between styles had started to develop. Artists were becoming more individualistic and styles were beginning to evolve from one to the next more and more rapidly. Impressionism Post-Impressionism Turn-of-the-Century Expressions Activity: Read chapter 13 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-7and Interpretation questions 1 and 2. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 13 6
Chapter 14: A HALF-CENTURY OF ISMS From the seeds of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism grew a variety of styles that almost defy logical organization. Several styles flourished simultaneously. New art movements began and ended with amazing speed. During the first half of this century, the two main movements in Europe were Expressionism and Abstract art. Expressionist artists sought to express their feelings in a strong way. They often focused on the stress and alienation of modern life. Abstract artists were more interested in design than in realistic imagery. Two other major movements were Fantasy art and Surrealism. These movements focused on the power and mystery of the fantasy world. Often, these styles left the viewer with more questions than answers, much like our dreams do. At this same time, photographers began experimenting in new directions. They used the camera to create beautiful interpretations of everyday life and the natural world. Expressionism Abstract Art Sculpture Fantasy Art and Surrealism Photography Activity: Read chapter 14 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-5 and Interpret questions 1 and 2. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 14 7
Chapter 15: AMERICAN ART 1900-1950 America charged into the first half of this century, full of energy, ideas and discoveries. At the same time, Americans experienced the Great Depression, two world wars and the harsh conditions of urbanization. American art of this period reflects the highs and lows of these opposing forces, as well as influences from European Abstract and Expressionistic art. American artists of the late 1800s also influenced artists at the turn of the century. Some of the most important new artists were Realists who were part of the Ash Can School. Instead of romantic landscapes or portraits, these artists painted slums and other shocking everyday scenes. At the same time, European Abstract art began to receive the support of American galleries and museums. Abstraction went on to become the most important art movement after 1950. The American public, however, wanted a more decorative style of art. They had a difficult time supporting artists of this period, except for the American Scene painters, whose art attempted to capture the country s vastness, beauty and positive character. Although Abstraction would become a dominant force, many American artists continued to paint realistically. A group which formed after the Great Depression, called the Social Realists, showed the human problems created by city life, industrialization, and large social institutions The Early Years The Influence of Abstraction The American Scene Social Realism Activity: Read chapter 15 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1 and 2, and Interpret questions 1 and 2. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 15 Objective A: Align works of art according to history, geography, and personal experience 8
Chapter 16: ARCHITECTURE AFTER1900 New ideas, new technology, scientific breakthroughs and an extraordinary out pouring of energy marked the 1900s. Nowhere was the new dynamism better showcased than in architecture. Heavy structures of wood and stone were replaced by the modern invention of steel skyscrapers. The new form of architecture, called Modernism, completely changed the way cities looked. The tallest structures traditionally had been church spires; the higher they soared, the closer worshipers were to God. These structures were overshadowed now by taller, non-religious buildings that were higher than anyone had ever imagined. They pierced the sky and, with it, our notion of space. Modern architects abandoned brick and wood for steel, reinforced concrete, and huge expanses of glass. Theirs was an unadorned style of architecture that sought weightlessness in all its structures. By the 1960s and 1970s, architects had grown tired of the pure line and impersonality of Modernism. They wanted something more vibrant and less box-like, without as many rules. Post- Modernism, the style of today, combines many styles, often in clever and humorous was. For example, Walt Disney imagery may be mixed with Doric columns. Post-Modernists take the whole environment into account when designing new structures, making this style of architecture much more personal. In this Chapter you will learn: Modernism in Architecture Post-Modernism Activity: Read chapter 16 and in your art journal answer Review questions 1-6. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 16 9
Chapter 17: ART FROM THE FIFTIES TO THE PRESENT A dramatic shift in the art world occurred at the end of World War II. Abstract Expressionism took New York and the Western world by storm. Its impact was so tremendous that all eyes turned to New York, the new leader of the art world. But as the fast-paced post-war period unfolded some artists tired of the emotionalism of Abstract Expressionism. These artists startled viewers with Pop Art and Op Art. Pop Art took its images from popular culture. Op Art used scientific approaches to create motion on the canvas. Styles began to change with greater and greater speed. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Color Field artists created serene paintings with large areas of flat color. Realism reemerged in the 1970s. Like Pop artists, New Realists portrayed contemporary American life. In the second half of the 1900s, sculptors became much bolder and more inventive in their use of materials and space. Diversity is the key to art since 1950. An extraordinary array of materials, forms, interactions, juxtapositions, statements and environments has captured the imagination of many contemporary artists. As art observers in the twenty-first century, we should continue to ask questions about what art is and about how we can better understand it. In this Chapter you will learn: Abstract Expressionism Pop Art and Op Art Color Field Painting New Realism Sculpture New Directions Activity: Read chapter 17 and in your art journal answer Review questions 2-6 and Interpret 1. STANDARDS FOR CHAPTER 17 10
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