Chinese Art
The earliest form of art we know from China was pottery - clay pitchers and bowls. Most of the best early pottery comes from a place called Ban’po and it is named after that place. This Ban'po pottery was handmade (not on a potter's wheel). At first the polished red pots were plain.
Then they were painted with black swirling spirals and geometric shapes, and sometimes with human faces. Later on, the Chinese used a brush to paint their pottery, and the designs became more sophisticated.
Shang Dynasty Chinese Art
1766-1122 BC
By about 2000 BC, people in China had learned from the people of West Asia how to make bronze out of copper and tin. They began to make many jars and plaques (flat pieces) out of bronze that were used for worshipping their gods. Right from the beginning, these were of very high quality. Some people have thought that the Chinese must have been practicing a long time to make such good bronze pieces, but this is really normal with any new technology: people are very interested in it at first and do a very good job, and it is only later that they try to do it cheaper and faster and not as well.
Chou Dynasty Chinese Art - 1122-221 BC
The first part of the Chou Dynasty is called the Western Chou, and it runs from about 1122 to about 722 BC. During the Western Chou dynasty, art didn't change very much from the Shang Dynasty that came before it. People kept on making the bronze sacrificial jars and cups that they made under the Shang emperors. Often the shapes of the jars were more complicated than they had been before.
There were some new technical ideas about how to make the bronze jars during the Eastern Chou period as well: for instance, artists began to make the designs on the jars using stamps. And the shapes of the jars became simpler again. Most of the designs were abstract interlacing patterns, rathe than animals. Artists began using gold and silver inlays to decorate their patterns. Towards the end of the Eastern Chou period, about 300 BC, artists began to create the first Chinese pictures of whole scenes with several people and a landscape, often hunting scenes.
Archaeologists have excavated the tomb of one of the Chin Dynasty emperors, so we know that the stuff in that tomb comes from the Chin Dynasty. This tomb has a huge army of clay statues of soldiers, who were supposed to protect the dead emperor. You can see that the abstract designs and animals of the Chou Dynasty have changed, and now art is becoming much more about representing people.
Three Kingdoms Chinese Art 220-581 AD
It was in the time of the Three Kingdoms that the first artists appear whose names we still know today. One of the earliest Chinese artists whose name we know is Ku K'ai-chih, who lived in the 300's AD (when Constantine was first building Constantinople in West Asia). Ku K'ai-chih is said to have been a great portrait artist - he painted pictures of people. But nothing he painted has survived for us to look at today.
Sui Dynasty Chinese Art - 581-618 AD
In the Three Kingdoms period, Chinese artists had learned a lot about Indian and West Asian sculptural styles. Now in the Sui Dynasty, artists transformed what they had learned and mixed it with Chinese styles to create a new, unified, uniquely Chinese style in sculpture. And they used the same style all over China, as if to emphasize that all of China was again under one Emperor.
In painting, too, artists developed a more unified system of painting during the Sui Dynasty. They were especially interested in how to show that one thing was nearer than another, or farther away but larger.
This was also a time of developing pottery styles. In the Sui Dynasty, for the first time, we see recognizable beginnings of the great Chinese porcelain industry of the future (that's why we call it "china"!).
Tang Dynasty Chinese Art618-907 AD
Sculpture, which had really begun to develop during the Sui Dynasty, reached its height under the T'ang Dynasty. Sculptors emphasized graceful lines and sharp, clear forms, and good proportions (the head the right size for the body, the legs and arms the right length).
But Chinese painters kept right up with the sculptors. Instead of painting mainly pictures of the Buddha, now artists painted scenes from history (famous emperors and famous battles), and scenes of everyday life at the emperor's court. They tried to make people look real and solid.
Nature was a more and more important theme to these painters. In the 700's AD, the painter Han Kan was famous for his paintings of horses, for instance, and many other artists also chose to paint animals.
Sung Dynasty Chinese Art - 960-1279 AD
Starting about 1200 AD, artists became interested in drawing smaller objects: a flower, or a bird, or a leaf. Again, they tried to draw these things using the fewest possible lines, and to show the most important things about that flower or bird, rather than drawing every detail.
Landscape painting got even better under the Sung Dynasty than it had been under the T'ang Dynasty that came before. Artists emphasized the simple lines of the mountains, rivers, and trees, trying to create a feeling with the fewest possible lines. Most of the time they didn't even use colors. Artists also learned to show distance with blurry outlines and mountains half-hidden by fog.
Yuan Dynasty (Mongol Period) Chinese Art - 1279-1368 AD
You might think that the invasion of the Mongols in 1279 AD would have killed off a lot of artists and there wouldn't be much good art during this time, but that's not true. Or, you might think that Chinese artists would begin to paint in a more Mongol style, but that's not what happened either. Actually traditional painting continued at a very high level throughout this time. Artists went right on drawing landscapes, although people became more important in the landscapes than they had been under the Sung Dynasty. Artists also began to pay a lot of attention to different kinds of brushstrokes and the surface of paintings.
Still-life painting of objects like flowers also remained important, or even got more important.
At this time, a lot of rich men painted pictures, men who wanted to show how artistic and well-educated they were.
Ming Dynasty Chinese Art- 1368-1644 AD
After the Mongols were thrown out of China, and the Chinese emperors took over again in the Ming Dynasty, sculpture stopped changing in style - Ming dynasty sculptors just repeated what had been done in the past.
On the other hand, Ming Dynasty paintings of birds and flowers and people are among the best detail paintings.
Monday, January 14, 2008
ART AND RELIGION
What is Religious Art?
Do we mean that religious themes are depicted in the art?
Do we mean that religious persons were the artists?
Do we mean that some special religious group or church has decided that the art is orthodox and therefore official?
The most common definition is that religious art is that which depicts biblical themes.
Often in history, "religious art" was what the church officially declared to be religious art.
Biblical themes may be used in a painting but for irreligious purposes.
The religion of the artist is ultimately irrelevant to the quality of his work, so that "faithful" painters may not be any more successful in doing "religious" art than nonbelievers.
Q: What do we mean by the word religion?
A: It comes from an ancient Latin word that means simply "to tie things together." Religion is the human quest for coherence and meaning in the understanding of the world.
Now it is easy to see where all the trouble in the definition of the term religious art arises. Art does not have to have biblical subject matter to be "religious." Any felt passion or insight about the world, expressed with power, ought to be considered religious art. In fact, we know that in earlier cultures, religion and art were almost the same thing. The religious buildings, icons, and music of a culture are art; and its art is its religion.
Art is the process of expressing in concrete form or event human emotions and aspirations, ranging from the simple joys of being to complex philosophical expression. A work of art is a concrete thing, an event that helps the participant to bridge his experience with that of the artist or the group or the religious values expressed therein. If one accepts this definition, there is no such thing as "art"; there are only the things we make to tell our stories as human beings with religious purposes.
"We have no art here. We only do the best we can."
How then are we to judge whether a work of art is a good piece of art or whether it is religious art? <----- this is irrelevant.
The better question would be:
Is the work of art expressive of a powerful view of life and, regardless of subject matter, does it stir some religious sensitivity in the viewer?
The late Paul Tillich, a great Christian theologian, suggested that a work of art could have religious subject matter and still be an irreligious statement. On the other hand, a work of art on a non-biblical subject could be expressed with such power that it would be a profoundly religious painting.
This insight brings us to the final problem in our discussion of religious art. Art is so important in the life of man and society that from the beginning of civilization tyrants have tried to control it. Keep the horizons of art no wider than the expectations of the rulers and you have kept a people under control. That is why the Nazis in Germany and the Communists in Russia have caused artists much trouble. That is why any attack on the artist in our culture is ultimately an attack on our own freedom to know and believe.
How do we tie it all together?
Religion is life, and the life that is lived without questions and spiritual wrestling is really a dull life indeed. When our minds and religious senses become dull and corrupt, then the glory of God and the blazing intentions of our Lord for our lives are unable to register in our daily existence. That is why religion and art are part of the wider quest for meaning. That is why we need them both.
Do we mean that religious themes are depicted in the art?
Do we mean that religious persons were the artists?
Do we mean that some special religious group or church has decided that the art is orthodox and therefore official?
The most common definition is that religious art is that which depicts biblical themes.
Often in history, "religious art" was what the church officially declared to be religious art.
Biblical themes may be used in a painting but for irreligious purposes.
The religion of the artist is ultimately irrelevant to the quality of his work, so that "faithful" painters may not be any more successful in doing "religious" art than nonbelievers.
Q: What do we mean by the word religion?
A: It comes from an ancient Latin word that means simply "to tie things together." Religion is the human quest for coherence and meaning in the understanding of the world.
Now it is easy to see where all the trouble in the definition of the term religious art arises. Art does not have to have biblical subject matter to be "religious." Any felt passion or insight about the world, expressed with power, ought to be considered religious art. In fact, we know that in earlier cultures, religion and art were almost the same thing. The religious buildings, icons, and music of a culture are art; and its art is its religion.
Art is the process of expressing in concrete form or event human emotions and aspirations, ranging from the simple joys of being to complex philosophical expression. A work of art is a concrete thing, an event that helps the participant to bridge his experience with that of the artist or the group or the religious values expressed therein. If one accepts this definition, there is no such thing as "art"; there are only the things we make to tell our stories as human beings with religious purposes.
"We have no art here. We only do the best we can."
How then are we to judge whether a work of art is a good piece of art or whether it is religious art? <----- this is irrelevant.
The better question would be:
Is the work of art expressive of a powerful view of life and, regardless of subject matter, does it stir some religious sensitivity in the viewer?
The late Paul Tillich, a great Christian theologian, suggested that a work of art could have religious subject matter and still be an irreligious statement. On the other hand, a work of art on a non-biblical subject could be expressed with such power that it would be a profoundly religious painting.
This insight brings us to the final problem in our discussion of religious art. Art is so important in the life of man and society that from the beginning of civilization tyrants have tried to control it. Keep the horizons of art no wider than the expectations of the rulers and you have kept a people under control. That is why the Nazis in Germany and the Communists in Russia have caused artists much trouble. That is why any attack on the artist in our culture is ultimately an attack on our own freedom to know and believe.
How do we tie it all together?
Religion is life, and the life that is lived without questions and spiritual wrestling is really a dull life indeed. When our minds and religious senses become dull and corrupt, then the glory of God and the blazing intentions of our Lord for our lives are unable to register in our daily existence. That is why religion and art are part of the wider quest for meaning. That is why we need them both.
Art as Expression and Communication
Art as expression and communication
No one can contain an intense emotion within himself for long. The tension would compel him to unburden himself or share the feeling with others.
Art has grown out of man’s need to express himself.
The artist’s thoughts at discovery and rediscovery may be philosophical, idealistic, militant, bitter, tolerant, humorous
In the system of communication, artists uses symbols. If symbols are understood, communication is established.
Artists as historian
Art as creation
Creation of Order -the innate craving to create an object that delight.
Re-ordering of already existing material.
Every product is an expression of that order, the artist’s personal viewpoint of order.
Art and experience
3 major experiences involved in the arts
(by the artist)
1.Communication - Act of expressing
2.Process - Act of creating
3.Fulfillment – Artist’s gratifying experience at having accomplished something.
Another kind of experience is the one felt by the onlooker/listener when they perceive art.
Victor Shlolvsky on the Art of Perception.
"The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar," to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged."
No one can contain an intense emotion within himself for long. The tension would compel him to unburden himself or share the feeling with others.
Art has grown out of man’s need to express himself.
The artist’s thoughts at discovery and rediscovery may be philosophical, idealistic, militant, bitter, tolerant, humorous
In the system of communication, artists uses symbols. If symbols are understood, communication is established.
Artists as historian
Art as creation
Creation of Order -the innate craving to create an object that delight.
Re-ordering of already existing material.
Every product is an expression of that order, the artist’s personal viewpoint of order.
Art and experience
3 major experiences involved in the arts
(by the artist)
1.Communication - Act of expressing
2.Process - Act of creating
3.Fulfillment – Artist’s gratifying experience at having accomplished something.
Another kind of experience is the one felt by the onlooker/listener when they perceive art.
Victor Shlolvsky on the Art of Perception.
"The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar," to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged."
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Mechanics and Themes for the KULAY Project
Mechanics:
Size: 9 X 12: Since we have not finalized the book/album where we will paste our respective materials, please paste them temporarily on a 9X12 bond so that the final pasting will be easier later on. We will finalize the album/book when we meet on January 3
Number of pages: 24 : I've decided to trim down the number of pages to more than half our original plan since we were unable to meet decently before we all went on a break This meant that I expect nothing but the best output.
Project Requisite: Each of your project album must contain atleast five (5) ACTUAL different mediums in visual arts (kailangan may watercolor, oil, sketches, etc... hindi lang computer print-out) Artworks may be commissioned from your friends, relatives or classmates from CFAD, etc. You are of course, enjoined to do it yourself.
COVER: The cover will be submitted 2nd week of January. We will spray the title (KULAY) so that there will uniformity on the masthead. Para mukha talagang collaborative effort pag dating sa exhibit.
THEMES: The Themes will be posted online. Please Click on Discussion Board para Makita yung mga themes na na approve.
Bernardo, John Anthony: Guitars. John Anthony's project will feature different guitars. my suggestion is that you include: a page or two of string chords, a store selling local guitars (yung sa cebu), maybe a song or a poem about guitars, freddie aguilar playing his guitar, a rock star smashing his guitar.
Corpus, Kristina: Ecstasy. Kristina's project will feature visual depiction of Ecstasy, the ecstasy of st. teresa of avila for example. What causes ecstasy? Ecstasy pills? Sexual ecstasy? Ecstasy? Ecstano? That kolokoy lyrics?
Timbangcaya, Lorenzo: Hi-Stories. Using popular sculpture/paintings that influenced uprising.
Golfo, Ralph Angelo: Shoes. All about shoes. Shoes of greatest basketball players, personages associated with shoes (Imelda Marcos, Carrie Bradshaw and Cinderella’s glass shoe), the story of the woman who lived on a shoe (the fairy tale).
Co, Nathaniel Lester: Transportation
Gonzales, Mark: Drawings/photos of objects painted differently from their original color.
Gasmen, Don Lexdel (Nice name) Different types of medieval spawn images of army with their battle gears, vehicles, their uniforms in different terrain. Please include literature about war.
Lim, Maecanda Bernice. Manga/Anime. Manga/anime cut-outs/screenshots featuring the theme of human relationships.
Lua, Jan Kelvin. In the Shadows. Famous places in the Philippines represented in a different way using vector graphics.
Cruz, Ann Jhelyn. Pinoy Pop Culture. Check out Pinoy Pop Culture Book by Gilda Cordero Fernando available at Bench Counters. The book may also be borrowed from the UST Library Filipiniana section.
Dacaymat, Dhanna: Bitterness. Dhanna’s project will feature visual depiction of Bitterness. See Kristina Corpus’s plan.
Leoncio, Francis: Only in the Pilipins: The Pinoy Bastardazing the English Language
Regine, Jasper, Danica, Randolfh, Ana Theresa, Kathleen, Lizzeth: Guys, you need to finalize your themes by posting in this discussion.
Size: 9 X 12: Since we have not finalized the book/album where we will paste our respective materials, please paste them temporarily on a 9X12 bond so that the final pasting will be easier later on. We will finalize the album/book when we meet on January 3
Number of pages: 24 : I've decided to trim down the number of pages to more than half our original plan since we were unable to meet decently before we all went on a break This meant that I expect nothing but the best output.
Project Requisite: Each of your project album must contain atleast five (5) ACTUAL different mediums in visual arts (kailangan may watercolor, oil, sketches, etc... hindi lang computer print-out) Artworks may be commissioned from your friends, relatives or classmates from CFAD, etc. You are of course, enjoined to do it yourself.
COVER: The cover will be submitted 2nd week of January. We will spray the title (KULAY) so that there will uniformity on the masthead. Para mukha talagang collaborative effort pag dating sa exhibit.
THEMES: The Themes will be posted online. Please Click on Discussion Board para Makita yung mga themes na na approve.
Bernardo, John Anthony: Guitars. John Anthony's project will feature different guitars. my suggestion is that you include: a page or two of string chords, a store selling local guitars (yung sa cebu), maybe a song or a poem about guitars, freddie aguilar playing his guitar, a rock star smashing his guitar.
Corpus, Kristina: Ecstasy. Kristina's project will feature visual depiction of Ecstasy, the ecstasy of st. teresa of avila for example. What causes ecstasy? Ecstasy pills? Sexual ecstasy? Ecstasy? Ecstano? That kolokoy lyrics?
Timbangcaya, Lorenzo: Hi-Stories. Using popular sculpture/paintings that influenced uprising.
Golfo, Ralph Angelo: Shoes. All about shoes. Shoes of greatest basketball players, personages associated with shoes (Imelda Marcos, Carrie Bradshaw and Cinderella’s glass shoe), the story of the woman who lived on a shoe (the fairy tale).
Co, Nathaniel Lester: Transportation
Gonzales, Mark: Drawings/photos of objects painted differently from their original color.
Gasmen, Don Lexdel (Nice name) Different types of medieval spawn images of army with their battle gears, vehicles, their uniforms in different terrain. Please include literature about war.
Lim, Maecanda Bernice. Manga/Anime. Manga/anime cut-outs/screenshots featuring the theme of human relationships.
Lua, Jan Kelvin. In the Shadows. Famous places in the Philippines represented in a different way using vector graphics.
Cruz, Ann Jhelyn. Pinoy Pop Culture. Check out Pinoy Pop Culture Book by Gilda Cordero Fernando available at Bench Counters. The book may also be borrowed from the UST Library Filipiniana section.
Dacaymat, Dhanna: Bitterness. Dhanna’s project will feature visual depiction of Bitterness. See Kristina Corpus’s plan.
Leoncio, Francis: Only in the Pilipins: The Pinoy Bastardazing the English Language
Regine, Jasper, Danica, Randolfh, Ana Theresa, Kathleen, Lizzeth: Guys, you need to finalize your themes by posting in this discussion.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Mediums of Art
mediums of visual arts
PAINTING
Painting, meant literally, is the practice of applying color to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer or concrete. However, when used in an artistic sense, the term "painting" means the use of this activity in combination with drawing, composition and other aesthetic considerations in order to manifest the expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner.
Painting, meant literally, is the practice of applying color to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer or concrete. However, when used in an artistic sense, the term "painting" means the use of this activity in combination with drawing, composition and other aesthetic considerations in order to manifest the expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner.
Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then applied to a surface — usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used.
Kut-kut, a lost art of the Philippines implements sgraffito and encaustic techniques. It was practiced by the indigenous tribe of Samar island around 1600 to 1800
Egg tempera is a fast drying medium that is fluid by nature and must be applied thinly in semi-opaque and transparent layers. The binding qualities of the egg does not allow for impasto painting.
Because of tempera's fluid, fast drying property, it is best suited for a more linear style rather than the thick, brushy and painterly technique of oil painting. Egg tempera has a clean, matte finish and a higher color key than oil. The subtle color variations so characteristic of egg tempera painting are unlike the deep saturated colors typical in oil paints. Therefore, the palette used in tempera only includes the colors which work best in tempera.
In English, the borrowed Italian word impasto most commonly refers to a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface (or the entire canvas) very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture, the paint coming out of the canvas.
Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related pain
ting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco ("fresh"), which has Germanic origins.Watercolor painting ("watercolour" in British English and "aquarelle" in French) is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork, in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water soluble vehicle. The traditional and most common support for watercolor paintings is paper; other supports include papyrus, bark papers, plastics, vellum or leather, fabric, wood, and canvas. In East Asia, watercolor painting with inks is referred to as brush painting or scroll painting. In Chinese and Japanese painting it has been the dominant medium, often in monochrome black or browns. India, Ethiopia and other countries also have long traditions.
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that bound with medium of drying oil — especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil, such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense, these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body and gloss. Other oils occasionally used include poppyseed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. These oils give various properties to the oil paint, such as less yellowing or different drying times. Certain differences are also visible in the sheen of the paints depending on the oil.
Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, Piet Mondriaan, 1921
Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.
Gouache (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint, splash") or bodycolor (the term preferred by art historians) is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities
related arts to painting
Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral. Small tiles or fragments of pottery (known as tesserae, diminutive tessellae) or of colored glass or clear glass backed with metal foils are used to create a pattern or picture.
Mosaic is related to painting only because it creates pictures on flat surfaces.
The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured glass or to the art and craft of working with it. Throughout its thousand-year history the term "stained glass" was applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches, cathedrals and other significant buildings. Although traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensional structures and sculpture.
Tapestry is a form of textile art. It is woven by hand on a vertical loom. It is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. In this way, a colourful pattern or image is created. Most weavers use a naturally based warp thread such as linen or cotton. The weft threads are usually wool or cotton, but may include silk, gold, silver, or other alternatives.
Both craftsmen and artists have produced tapestries. The 'blueprints' on cardboard (also known as 'tapestry cartoons') were made by artists of repute, while the tapestries themselves were produced by craftsmen.
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist's books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.
Woodcut is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges. The areas to show 'white' are cut away with a knife or chisel, leaving the characters or image to show in 'black' at the original surface level. The block is cut along the grain of the wood (unlike wood engraving where the block is cut in the end-grain). In Europe beechwood was most commonly used; in Japan, a special type of cherry wood was popular.
Digital prints refers to editions of images created with a computer using drawings, other prints, photographs, light pen and tablet, and so on. These images can be printed to a variety of substrates including paper and cloth or plastic canvas. Accurate color reproduction is key to distinguishing high quality from low quality digital prints. Metallics (silvers, golds) are particularly difficult to reproduce accurately because they reflect light back to digital scanners. High quality digital prints typically are reproduced with very high-resolution data files with very high-precision printers. The substrate used has an effect on the final colors and cannot be ignored when selecting a color palette.
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that bound with medium of drying oil — especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil, such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense, these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body and gloss. Other oils occasionally used include poppyseed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. These oils give various properties to the oil paint, such as less yellowing or different drying times. Certain differences are also visible in the sheen of the paints depending on the oil.
Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, Piet Mondriaan, 1921
Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.
Gouache (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint, splash") or bodycolor (the term preferred by art historians) is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities
related arts to painting
Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral. Small tiles or fragments of pottery (known as tesserae, diminutive tessellae) or of colored glass or clear glass backed with metal foils are used to create a pattern or picture.
Mosaic is related to painting only because it creates pictures on flat surfaces.
The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured glass or to the art and craft of working with it. Throughout its thousand-year history the term "stained glass" was applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches, cathedrals and other significant buildings. Although traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensional structures and sculpture.
Tapestry is a form of textile art. It is woven by hand on a vertical loom. It is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. In this way, a colourful pattern or image is created. Most weavers use a naturally based warp thread such as linen or cotton. The weft threads are usually wool or cotton, but may include silk, gold, silver, or other alternatives.
Both craftsmen and artists have produced tapestries. The 'blueprints' on cardboard (also known as 'tapestry cartoons') were made by artists of repute, while the tapestries themselves were produced by craftsmen.
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist's books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.
Woodcut is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges. The areas to show 'white' are cut away with a knife or chisel, leaving the characters or image to show in 'black' at the original surface level. The block is cut along the grain of the wood (unlike wood engraving where the block is cut in the end-grain). In Europe beechwood was most commonly used; in Japan, a special type of cherry wood was popular.
Digital prints refers to editions of images created with a computer using drawings, other prints, photographs, light pen and tablet, and so on. These images can be printed to a variety of substrates including paper and cloth or plastic canvas. Accurate color reproduction is key to distinguishing high quality from low quality digital prints. Metallics (silvers, golds) are particularly difficult to reproduce accurately because they reflect light back to digital scanners. High quality digital prints typically are reproduced with very high-resolution data files with very high-precision printers. The substrate used has an effect on the final colors and cannot be ignored when selecting a color palette.
FUNCTIONS OF ART
The physical functions of art are most easily dealt with. Works of art that are created to perform some service have physical functions.
If you see a Fijian war club you may assume that, however wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it was created to perform the physical function of smashing skulls.
A Japanese raku bowl is art that performs a physical function in the tea ceremony. Conversely, a fur-covered teacup from the Dada movement has no physical function.
Architecture, any of the crafts and industrial design are all types of art that have physical functions.
Art has social functions when it addresses aspects of (collective) life, as opposed to one person's point of view or experience.
For example, public art in 1930s Germany had an overwhelming symbolic theme. Did this art exert influence on the German population? Decidedly so. As did political and patriotic posters in Allied countries during the same time.
Political art (skewed to whatever message) always carries a social function. The fur-covered Dada teacup, useless for holding tea, carried a social function in that it protested World War I (and nearly everything else in life).
Art that depicts social conditions performs social functions. The Realists figured this out early in the 19th century. Dorothea Lange (and, indeed, many other photographers) often photographed people in conditions we'd rather not think about.
Additionally, satire performs social functions. Francisco Goya and William Hogarth both went this route, with varying degrees of success at enacting social change.
Sometimes having specific pieces of art in a community can perform the social function of elevating that community's status. A Calder stabile, for example, can be a community treasure and point of pride.
The personal functions of art are the most difficult to explain in any great detail. There are many of them, and they vary from person to person.
An artist may create out of a need for self-expression, or gratification. S/he might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the artist was trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might have been meant to "merely" entertain others. Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have any meaning at all.
On a slightly more lofty plane, art may serve the personal functions of control. Art has been used to attempt to exert magical control over time, or the seasons or even the acquisition of food. Art is used to bring order to a messy and disorderly world. Conversely, art can be used to create chaos when an artist feels life is too staid and ordinary. Art can also be therapeutic - for both the artist and the viewer.
If you see a Fijian war club you may assume that, however wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it was created to perform the physical function of smashing skulls.
A Japanese raku bowl is art that performs a physical function in the tea ceremony. Conversely, a fur-covered teacup from the Dada movement has no physical function.
Architecture, any of the crafts and industrial design are all types of art that have physical functions.
Art has social functions when it addresses aspects of (collective) life, as opposed to one person's point of view or experience.
For example, public art in 1930s Germany had an overwhelming symbolic theme. Did this art exert influence on the German population? Decidedly so. As did political and patriotic posters in Allied countries during the same time.
Political art (skewed to whatever message) always carries a social function. The fur-covered Dada teacup, useless for holding tea, carried a social function in that it protested World War I (and nearly everything else in life).
Art that depicts social conditions performs social functions. The Realists figured this out early in the 19th century. Dorothea Lange (and, indeed, many other photographers) often photographed people in conditions we'd rather not think about.
Additionally, satire performs social functions. Francisco Goya and William Hogarth both went this route, with varying degrees of success at enacting social change.
Sometimes having specific pieces of art in a community can perform the social function of elevating that community's status. A Calder stabile, for example, can be a community treasure and point of pride.
The personal functions of art are the most difficult to explain in any great detail. There are many of them, and they vary from person to person.
An artist may create out of a need for self-expression, or gratification. S/he might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the artist was trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might have been meant to "merely" entertain others. Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have any meaning at all.
On a slightly more lofty plane, art may serve the personal functions of control. Art has been used to attempt to exert magical control over time, or the seasons or even the acquisition of food. Art is used to bring order to a messy and disorderly world. Conversely, art can be used to create chaos when an artist feels life is too staid and ordinary. Art can also be therapeutic - for both the artist and the viewer.
The Subject of Art
The Subject of Art
The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art.
(some arts have subject, others do not)
Representational art/ objective art (arts that have subject)
Non-representational art/non objective arts (appeal directly to senses as in music)
represenational to non-representational, the shift in attention
In his essay "Art as Technique" Victor Shklovsky argues that what defines literature is its ability to make the familiar seem strange (DEFAMILIARIZATION). Literature disrupts our normal habits of perception. This passage is my favorite critical passages of all time:
"And so life is reckoned as nothing. Habitualization devours works, clothes, furniture, one's wife, and the fear of war. 'If the whole complex lives of many people go on unconsciously, then such lives are as if they had never been.' [Tolstoy] And art exists that one may recover the sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stone STONY. The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar," to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged."
REALISM
ABSTRACTION
DISTORTION
SURREALISM
WAYS OF REPRESENTING A SUBJECT
REALISM
When things are depicted in the way they would normally appear in nature, representation is said to be realistic, almost photographic.
ABSTRACTION
Process of simplifying and /or reorganizingobjects and elements according to the demands of artistic expression.
The artist selects and renders the objects with shapes, colors, and positions altered.
Enough likeness/ or in some case original objects are reduced to simple geometric shapes and can rarely be identified unless named.
Braque-Mandola
DISTORTION
Twisting, stretching, deforming the natural shape of objects
Proportions differ noticeably
Distortion is done to dramatize the shape of a figure or create an emotional effect
SUREREALISM
REALISM + DISTORTION (1 type only)
Dreamlike scenes to express the subconcious.
Dreamlike because of the irrational arrangement of objects (recognizable objects combined with utterly fantastic and unnatural relationships.
KINDS OF SUBJECTS
1. Landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes
2. Still life- inanimate objects arranged in an indoor setting
3. Animals
Animals used as symbols in conventional religious arts
4.Portraits
-human face
portraits need not be photographic likeness
A great portrait is a product of selective process, the artist highlighting certain features and de-emphasizing others. It does not have to beautiful but it has to be truthful.
But some painters, wanting to please their patrons decrease the lines of experience on the faces of their subject.
Applicable to busts, sculptures of heroes and leaders. Quite common among the Romans.
Etched in coins, medals
Portraits may also mark milestones such as Baptism, Weddings, Graduations
Self portraits
Chaucer’s Prologue in the Canterbury Tales, the knight and his son, the demure Prioress, the Monk and the Wife of Bath
6. Figures
human body - form - structure
Nudes or clothed
The grace and ideal proportion, the symbol of moral and spiritual perfection to the Greeks.
7. Everyday life
7. History and Legend
8. Religion and Mythology
9. Dreams and fantasies
The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art.
(some arts have subject, others do not)
Representational art/ objective art (arts that have subject)
Non-representational art/non objective arts (appeal directly to senses as in music)
represenational to non-representational, the shift in attention
In his essay "Art as Technique" Victor Shklovsky argues that what defines literature is its ability to make the familiar seem strange (DEFAMILIARIZATION). Literature disrupts our normal habits of perception. This passage is my favorite critical passages of all time:
"And so life is reckoned as nothing. Habitualization devours works, clothes, furniture, one's wife, and the fear of war. 'If the whole complex lives of many people go on unconsciously, then such lives are as if they had never been.' [Tolstoy] And art exists that one may recover the sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stone STONY. The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar," to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged."
REALISM
ABSTRACTION
DISTORTION
SURREALISM
WAYS OF REPRESENTING A SUBJECT
REALISM
When things are depicted in the way they would normally appear in nature, representation is said to be realistic, almost photographic.
ABSTRACTION
Process of simplifying and /or reorganizingobjects and elements according to the demands of artistic expression.
The artist selects and renders the objects with shapes, colors, and positions altered.
Enough likeness/ or in some case original objects are reduced to simple geometric shapes and can rarely be identified unless named.
Braque-Mandola
DISTORTION
Twisting, stretching, deforming the natural shape of objects
Proportions differ noticeably
Distortion is done to dramatize the shape of a figure or create an emotional effect
SUREREALISM
REALISM + DISTORTION (1 type only)
Dreamlike scenes to express the subconcious.
Dreamlike because of the irrational arrangement of objects (recognizable objects combined with utterly fantastic and unnatural relationships.
KINDS OF SUBJECTS
1. Landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes
2. Still life- inanimate objects arranged in an indoor setting
3. Animals
Animals used as symbols in conventional religious arts
4.Portraits
-human face
portraits need not be photographic likeness
A great portrait is a product of selective process, the artist highlighting certain features and de-emphasizing others. It does not have to beautiful but it has to be truthful.
But some painters, wanting to please their patrons decrease the lines of experience on the faces of their subject.
Applicable to busts, sculptures of heroes and leaders. Quite common among the Romans.
Etched in coins, medals
Portraits may also mark milestones such as Baptism, Weddings, Graduations
Self portraits
Chaucer’s Prologue in the Canterbury Tales, the knight and his son, the demure Prioress, the Monk and the Wife of Bath
6. Figures
human body - form - structure
Nudes or clothed
The grace and ideal proportion, the symbol of moral and spiritual perfection to the Greeks.
7. Everyday life
7. History and Legend
8. Religion and Mythology
9. Dreams and fantasies
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