Introduction: What Is Art? What Does It Do? 

Assigned Topics for Power Point, Lesson #1

"My Favorite Artist" is an opportunity for students to explain intelligently to the class why they like a body of work by a particular artist..   

TEXT: Art Across Time, 2nd Edition, by Laurie Schneider Adams

Introduction: Why do we study the History of Art?

• The Artistic Impulse

• The Values of Art

• Art and Illusion

• Art and Identification

• Architecture

• Art Collecting

• Archeology and Art History

• The Methodologies of Art History

• The Language of Art

• Stylistic Terminology

Introduction to Art

"What's the fun of being a teenager if you can't dress weird."  

-Johnny (Nicholas Cage in Peggy Sue Got Married) 

Above: Fountain, 1917 by Marcel Duchamp

   The Fine Arts include: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Architecture, Printmaking, and Film, Video, and Electronic Media.

    The Applied Arts include: The Design Fields of;   Industrial, Product, Package, Surface, and Graphic Design, Art Direction, Illustration, The Crafts, Architecture, Printmaking, Film, Video, and Electronic Media.

"Clothes make the man...naked people have little or no influence on society."

-Mark Twain

Above: Mr. Stanforth standing by a large and very realistic drawing by the artist, Shimon Okshteyn , whose work was on exhibit at the Washington University School of Art Des Lee Gallery in downtown St. Louis.    

    "Art is not a product arrived at through following directions, copying, or conforming to a given model.  Art is not just a skill.  It is the process of thinking, imagining, risking, seeing connections, inventing, expressing in unique visual form.  Drawing is as basic and essential a mode of expression as is language and writing.  Everyone can draw.  And just as we all learn the same form of cursive writing but develop an individuality that becomes our identification, so our drawing develops as individually as our writing.  The task of a teacher is not to tell the student what it should look like; rather, the teacher's role  is to lead the student to look.  There is no absolute standard of good drawing.  Each artist has his or her individual style.  So too, every child will see and record individually.  To put a standard before a class and require students to aim to copy it is very destructive."           - Jean Morman Unsworth, Art Education, Nov. 2001

What is Art?  Mr. Stanforth seems to be asking that question about this group of "Pop Art" paintings by the artist Andy Warhol.  (From the collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum)

1.  Art is a Language, a form of communication.

Above images, Left, George Montgomery Flag, Right, Jerry Uelsmann.

2.  Art is the creative expression of an Idea.

Above Images by: Left, M.C. Escher, Right, Victor Vasarely.

3.  Art is either Fine or Applied

Above images: Left, Self-Portrait With Seven Fingers by Marc Chagall, 1913, Right, Illustration by Kevin Hulsey

The Basics of Art

The Three Basic Components of a work of Art

1.  Subject: (The "what") A person, a place, a thing or an Idea.  

2.  Composition or Form: (The "how") Arrangement of shapes and the other basic building blocks of the visual arts into a visually effective organization to express an idea.  In the Fine Art the term composition is usually used while in the Applied Arts the term design is used.  In the Applied Arts DESIGN also implies a well thought out and accurate idea or plan, committed to paper, that can be read and produced by a trained technician. (As in a blueprint by an architect for a contractor)

3.  Content: (The "why") The emotional or intellectual message of an artwork.

Above: Tourist waiting in line to view the Mona Lisa by Leonardo daVinci at the Louvre in Paris.

Drawing, the First Written Language 

1. Evolved into pictographic languages. (Hieroglyphics, Chinese, etc.)

2. Drawing can be specific (literal) or symbolic (abstract).

3. Written language is inherently abstract (open to interpretation) and composed of symbols. 

Some things to remember

1. Reading Art means understanding a visual statement.

2. Speaking Art means creating a visual statement.

3. When Art seems strange or meaningless, it is only that this language is yet to be understood.

4. You cannot take Art out of the context of its times.

METAPHOR: When one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.  

    -"The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor, it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from     others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity  in [the] dissimilar." Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek philosopher. S.H. Butcher, Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art, 1951.

What is Art? (the Visual Arts)

The Basic Building Blocks of the Visual Arts

1.  Line -  A distinct series of points, A path made by a pointed instrument, A line implies ACTION, suggests DIRECTION, requires CHOICE and THOUGHT.  We use lines to write both the VERBAL and VISUAL languages.  Artists use line to lead your eyes through a work of art. There are five basic kinds of lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, zigzag, and curved.    

2.  Shape and Form -    SHAPE IS 2-D (has only length and width - a flat surface.  FORM IS 3-D (has length, width, and depth). The illusion or reality of three-dimensionality.  The basic shapes are the square (or rectangle), circle, and triangle.  The basic forms are the cube, sphere, and pyramid.  Shapes and forms exist in space. Space is the element of an art that refers to the emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or within objects.  In both two and three dimensional art, the shapes or forms are called the positive space or the figure.  The empty spaces between the shapes or forms are called negative spaces or ground. 

3.  Value (Light and Dark) -   The element of art that describes the darkness or lightness of an object.  High-Light, shading and shadow.  High-Light is the area of an object closest to the light source   Shading is the use of light and dark values to create the illusion of form.  Shadow is the darkened shape cast behind  the object in the path of a light source. There are four main shading techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Blending and Stippling. 

Below are examples and a link to the Art Studio Chalk Board of Ralph Murrell Larmann ©1995.  The examples are also images ©1995, of Ralph Murrell Larmann.  Click the image to follow the link for further information.

Gray Scale, ©1995 Ralph Murrell Larmann

Chiaroscuro, ©1995 Ralph Murrell Larmann

4.  Texture -  Is the way things feel or look as if they might feel, if touched.  The visual representation (visual texture - matte and shiny) or actual use of surface (tactile texture - rough and smooth).  IN CLASS:   Apply a drawn texture to the previous drawings of FORMS.  (Hair, brick, stucco, stone, cloth, etc.)

5.  Color -  Is a function of light.  The electromagnetic energy radiating from the sun (white light).

Objects reflect or absorb light to create our perception of color.  The three characteristics of color are: 

           HUE - refers to the names of the primary colors of pigment. (Red, Yellow, and Blue)

          VALUE - Lightness or darkness of colors achieved by adding black or white.  A light value of a hue is called a tint, and a dark value of a hue is called a shade.

           SATURATION - Vividness, purity or intensity of color achieved by increase in pigment

Other Color Terminology

-  Primary colors - The primary colors are: red, yellow, and blue.

-  Secondary Colors - The secondary colors are purple, orange and green.

-  Complimentary Colors - Opposites on the color wheel

-  Warm and Cool Colors - WARM; red, yellow, and orange.  COOL; blue, green, and purple.

-  Analogous Colors - Related colors.  Colors next to each other on the color wheel

Material - Medium - Technique - Craftsmanship

The means through which art works are created.

Material - The basic raw components "stuff" of art. (Wood, paint, clay, etc.)

Medium - A special use of material for an artistic purpose.  The basic mediums of the Visual Arts include:

1.  Painting: Applying a plastic color medium to a flat surface. Surfaces traditionally include: wood, canvas, paper, and plaster.  Usually found in private homes, museums, galleries and usually displayed on or applied to walls.  Paints have three basic ingredients: Pigments ( finely ground colored powders), Binder (a binder is a material that holds together the grains of pigment, Solvent (a solvent is a liquid that controls the thickness or the thinness of the paint).

2.  Sculpture: Art that is made to occupy space. Three dimensional objects made of relatively permanent materials.  Displayed both in and out of doors, usually viewed from 360°.  Sculpture that projects out from a wall or other surface viewed from less than 360° is called a relief sculpture or bas relief if the projection is slight (as in a coin).  General sculpting processes include: modeling (a soft pliable material is built up and shaped); carving (to cut, chip, or drill from a solid mass of material); casting (molten metal or an other substance is poured into a mold and allowed to harden); assembling also called constructing (a variety of different materials are gathered and joined together).

Above: Michelangelo's unfinished sculpture in the Louvre. Below:  relief sculpture from the Westminster Cathedral, London, England. 

3.  Architecture: The design and planning of the structures where we live, work, play, and worship.

Above: A cutaway model of the Paris Opera House. 

4.  Printmaking: A process in which an artist repeatedly transfers an original image from one prepared surface (the plate) to another (paper). The design and production of multiple images and/or type for artistic and commercial purposes.  In the fine arts, prints are made directly from the original image plate, sold in galleries, less expensive than paintings, made in limited editions usually of 500 or less if of high quality.  Commercial prints are not "prints" in the fine arts sense where images are produced directly from the original plate but rather reproductions of another image.  A print is an original work of art.  A reproduction is a copy of a work of art. 

Above: An etching from a metal plate.

5.  Photo / Still Imaging: Creating images on light sensitive materials, usually film and photographic paper or through analog/digital means and usually with the assistance of a camera and chemical or digital processing.

Above: A positive and negative self-portrait image made with the most basic of cameras, a pinhole  camera.

6.  Film - Motion Sound Media: Images that incorporate motion and sound through the medium of either photographic film or electronic imaging.  Images consumed or viewed by an audience or public for the purpose of intellectual stimulation are considered Fine Arts. Images that are consumed by an audience for the purpose of entertainment or emotional stimulation are considered Applied Arts.

Technique - A special or personal way of using a medium. (Landscape watercolor, B&W photo portraits, Raku pottery, Stone lithography, etc.)

Craftsmanship (Craft) - The knowledge of what can be done in a medium and the ability to do it.  Working with the hands to create a quality product.

Design and Composition 

The organizing principles or structure of art.

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
From "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji"; 1823-29 (140 Kb); Color woodcut, 10 x 15 in; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

For more information about the above print and the artist who created it visit the Web Museum Link

DESIGN : Arrangement of shapes and the other basic building blocks of the visual arts into a visually effective organization to express an idea.   A term used mainly in the Applied Arts.     In the Applied Arts DESIGN also implies a well thought out and accurate idea or plan, committed to paper, that can be read and produced by a trained technician. (As in a blueprint by an architect for a contractor)

COMPOSITION: Arrangement of shapes and the other basic building blocks of the visual arts into a visually effective organization to express an idea.  A term used mainly in the Fine Arts.

The elements of Design and Composition comprise the formal structure of a work of art.   As the rules of grammar provide a structure for other languages, Design and Composition provide the basic principles or guidelines for the visual arts.  

UNITY -  Is the main principle and goal of design and composition.  The other principles that follow are means to this end.  A unified design is a visual economy where nothing more is needed and any less is not enough.

HARMONY - A factor of cohesion - relating various picture parts. Pulling together of opposing forces by giving them some common element, the repetition of the same device. Rhythm is also established when regulated visual units are repeated.  Whether created by  repetition (as in a pattern) or rhythm, harmony may create the feeling of boredom or monotony when its use is carried to extremes.  But, properly introduced, harmony is a necessary ingredient of unity. 

VARIETY - Variety is the counterweight of harmony, the other side of organization essential to unity. Variety is achieved by the use of contrast and elaboration.

BALANCE - A visual sense of equilibrium in an image or object.  Satisfactory control of the visual weight of the basic building blocks in a work of art.  There is horizontal balance, vertical balance and radial balance, symmetrical (the least challenging and interesting type) balance, and asymmetrical (is a more complex distribution of the visual elements) balance.

PROPORTION - The relationship of parts to each other and to the whole.  The visual expression of size and scale.  The Golden Mean or Golden Section as used in the Greek Orders and by Renaissance Artists are classic examples of a "formal" rule of proportion. 

DOMINANCE -  Exhibiting differences that emphasize the degree of importance of its various parts.  Isolation, placement, direction, scale, character and and contrast are ways to achieve dominance. 

MOVEMENT - Guiding the viewer through the work of art in a planned sequence of either converging lines, overlap, size difference, or color change.

ECONOMY -  Paring things down to the essentials.  The best works of art contain no more - nor less that what is absolutely necessary to express meaning.  This is  visual efficiency.

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The Fine Arts

Mr. Stanforth viewing Edouard Manet's Olympia, 1863, at the Musée d'orsay in Paris.

History and Western Culture

Below:  Mr. Stanforth with Giant 3-Way Plug by Claes Oldenberg on the grounds of the St. Louis Art Museum

     Many if not most of the traditional components of Western Civilization can be traced back to the Greeks.  We have copied from them our form of government, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, mathematics, theatre, and sport.   For a better understanding of the purposes of art it is important to understand the historical division of art into two main categories.  The FINE ARTS, (considered the major arts or high art), and the APPLIED ARTS, (which are considered the minor arts).   These classifications derive from the Greek belief that truly important art forms (the fine arts) are intellectually and spiritually imposing, not just utilitarian. (the applied arts) 

    Prior to the 19th century there was little confusion concerning the word "ART".  It was mostly "fine" and available only to the wealthy, royalty, or the church.  With the massive growth of the middle classes due to the industrial revolution and the advent of the "MODERN" era in the mid to late 1800's (and the invention / discovery of photography) that word "ART" began to slowly take on a much different meaning.  The artists were less concerned with reproducing nature and became more interested in a less literal, more open to interpretation, "abstract" expression of culture.   At the same time the applied arts began a slow but massive growth fueled by continuing financial growth in the society at-large.  The public demanded more appealing products and the advertising to to sell them.

    Today it can be safely stated that if we were to remove all of the items in our society that were designed by artists we would be standing naked in an empty field.  The arts are a complex and integral part of our modern society.  To be a truly educated person in today's world you must have a more than passing understanding of the arts.

Above: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, a symbolic structure, created for the Paris Centennial Exposition of 1889 to commemorate the one hundred year anniversary of the French Revolution.    

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Mr. Stanforth at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) viewing a painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Jackson Pollock.

The Fine Arts

The Fine Arts include: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Architecture, Printmaking, and Film, Video, and Electronic Media.

The Characteristics of the FINE ARTS (The purpose of the Fine Arts is to be SEEN - not ignored)

1.  An EXPERIMENT, (Research and Development)
2. SELF-EXPRESSION
3.  Is a QUESTION
4.  Makes you THINK
5.  Tries to be NEW
      

    The best works of Fine Art are those that INFLUENCE the work of other fine and applied artists and therefore the society as a whole.  The ultimate achievement or goal of a fine artists is to influence the future.  Fine Arts is not a job in the traditional sense.  Fine artists are more like independent entrepreneurs who work for themselves producing a product.  Fine arts objects are usually found in MUSEUMS (the place where; 1.significant, 2.unusual and 3.first items are found) ,where they are mainly viewed, and in Galleries and AUCTION HOUSES (like, Christie's and Sotheby's) ,where they are exhibited for sale.

THE FINE ARTS 

1.  Painting -  Applying a plastic color medium to a flat surface.  Surfaces traditionally include wood, canvas, paper, and plaster.   Usually found in museums, galleries and private homes displayed on walls. Yosemite Valley, 1875, by Albert Bierstad  

The two paintings below with Mr. Stanforth are from the Milwaukee Art Museum.  The painting on the left is Nancy 1968, by Chuck Close and the one on the right is Crying Girl, 1964, by Roy Lichtenstein.

2.  Sculpture -  Three dimensional objects made of relatively permanent materials.  Displayed both in and out of doors, usually viewed from 360°.  Italian Sculpture from different historical periods, Chicago Public Art, Cincinnati Public Art, and the Site Sculpture of Christo & Jean-Claude.  For an example of "relief" sculpture view this Roman Relief Sculpture from the Getty Web Site, as well as these Andy Goldsworthy Art and Ecology Site Sculptures.   The photo below of Mt. Rushmore, is a good example of high relief sculpture.

 Below: An example of relief sculpture from the facade of Westminster Cathedral, London.

3.  Architecture -  Dwellings or structures of a symbolic nature sometimes found at worlds fairs, The Olympics, many large monuments, and some individual homes.  See these examples of Symbolic Structures: The Statue of Liberty (also below), The St. Louis Gateway Arch, The Eiffel Tower, Paris,  The Great Pyramids, The Seattle Washington, Space Needle, and for your interest look at this site for the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  See some of Frank Lloyd Wright's fine and applied arts architecture.  Below: The private residence known as "Falling Water", by Frank Lloyd Wright

Above: Mr. Stanforth across the street from the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan.  One of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous buildings.  Below: is a view of the interior of the central spiral.

4.  Printmaking -  The design and production of prints by an artist.  Sold in galleries, less expensive than paintings, made in limited editions usually of 500 or less if of high quality.  In the fine arts, prints are made directly from the original image plate. PacePrints is a contemporary Fine Arts Print Gallery.  A woodblock print, by Albrecht Durer. The pictures below illustrate two steps in the process of stone lithography.

Below: an example of Lithography, Hands and Sphere by M.C. Escher

About Prints

What is a Print?

Description of Printmaking Techniques

Engraving, Etching, Aquatint, and Drypoint are intaglio processes. The image is incised with a pointed tool or bitten with acid into a metal plate (traditionally copper, zinc or steel). Ink is rubbed into the grooves, the areas that hold the ink below the surface of the plate. The differences between these processes are in how the grooves are made. They are all rolled through a press to print the image onto paper.

Aquatint is a form of etching that was introduced in the 1650's that produces gradual tonal effects. Through a variety of means powdered resin is made to adhere to a metal plate. The metal that remains exposed around the tiny drops of resin is bitten in the acid bath, creating a pitted grainy surface that holds a thin layer of ink. This prints as an area of tone that can be greatly varied with skill.

Lithography was discovered at the end of the 1700's. It is a process that is based on the fact that grease and water do not mix. On a smooth stone or plate the image is drawn with a greasy crayon or painted with a greasy ink called tusche. The surface is covered with water, which is attracted only to the blank areas, and then inked. The ink adheres to the greasy areas. A press is rolled over the stone or plate to transfer the image onto the paper.

5.  Photo/Still Imaging -  Creating images on light sensitive materials, usually film and photographic paper and usually with the assistance of a camera and chemical processing.  See George Eastman House, Rochester, NY.  Visit bsimple.com, a site of beautiful, imposing, austere, and  formal but subtilely emotional photographs by Misha Gordon. Also visit this site of the great Fine Arts Photographer, Jerry Uelsmann.  And his personal site.

The above photo is the work of Diane Arbus.  View more of her work and that of other famous photographers at the Masters of Photography Web Site

6.  Film - Motion Sound Media -  Images that incorporate motion and sound through the medium of either photographic film or electronic imaging.  Images that are for the most part consumed or viewed by an audience or public for the purpose of intellectual stimulation.  See film stills from this avant-garde / alternative site FLICKER or if it still blocked (more of the international conservative conspiracy to censor the arts) try this experimental film page from the Village Voice. 

UTILITY: Something useful or designed for use, fitness for some purpose.

    The Creative Process is the formula that all creative and successful people use in achieving their success.  You can use this process yourself to achieve any goal in life.

1. Identification of a goal - All creative and successful people are "goal striving" individuals.  Before you have a success, you must envision it.  You must know what you want to do before it is possible for you to achieve the goal.  Many successful people will tell you that it is sometimes easier to answer a question than to know the question.  Find a problem that needs to be solved.

2. Gather Information - Once you have defined your goal you must gather all available information that might assist you in achieving your solution.

3. Intense Concentration - Study the known information and then look for what is missing - then study that.

4. Incubation - You will tire of studying, concentrating, and searching.  You will become exhausted and convinced that there is no solution to the problem.  This is when you need to incubate.  Leave your mind, its thoughts, and store of information, knowledge, and ideas, alone to rest - to incubate.  Believe that on its own, if left alone, it will figure out the solution without your conscious interference.  Engage in physical activity, play, relax, listen to music, whatever will get your mind off of the problem and allow it to work.  If you have done your work in the previous steps, including incubation, then, when you least expect it; but when you need it most, it will happen...

5. Illumination - Like the visual metaphor of the light bulb being turned on, like a flash of lightening, or just a subtle whisper, the solution will present itself.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS

• Boundary Pushing

• Boundary Breaking

• Inventing

• Aesthetic Organizing

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"

-Joseph Chilton Pearce

Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to try the one I haven't tried before.

-Mae West

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier.   The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.

-Margaret Young

Are you part of the problem, or are you part of the solution?

The only person that you can make do anything - is yourself.

Exercise: FLUENCY - The ability to generate and juggle a large number of ideas when confronting a problem or seeking improvements.

Exercise: PERSISTENCE AND CONCENTRATION - The popular notion that the creative individual relies mainly on effortless inspiration and unforced spontaneity is still a widespread misconception.

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The Applied Arts

The Applied Arts include: The Design Fields of;   Industrial, Product, Package, Surface, and Graphic Design, Art Direction, Illustration, The Crafts, Architecture, Printmaking, Film, Video, and Electronic Media.

(Image by Kevin Hulsey)

Characteristics of the APPLIED ARTS (The purpose of the Applied Arts is to be appealing and to be sold - to satisfy the demands of fashion, style, function, materials and cost.)

1. Designed

2. Designed for a useful or practical purpose

3. Designed to be appealing

4. Designed to be sold

5. Designed to be the answer to a problem

    In the Applied Arts DESIGN  implies a well thought out and accurate idea or plan, committed to paper, that can be read and produced by a trained technician. (As in a blueprint by an architect for a contractor)

    Applied artists design for us the functional objects that require more than just function.  If visual appeal is desirable in helping to sell a product or service - an applied artist is hired.  Applied artists, unlike the fine artist, are usually employed by design firms or manufacturers of goods.  Many  work "freelance" as an independent contractor. 

    Applied arts are found almost everywhere, in stores of all kinds, to the store itself.  If we were to eliminate all things designed by applied artists, we would, in fact, be standing naked in a field.

Read what Jill Bell has to say about the importance of appearances.

"You can't judge a book by its cover....
but everyone does.

The first impression your business makes on everyone – from your new clients to your competitors – is an image that you create. Your stationery, packaging or a brochure tell the public who you are and what you do. A professional appearance speaks to your client in a way that nothing short of years of good service can.

So many businesses compete for the same niche in today’s market place. You need all the edge you can get. If your business or product isn’t packaged correctly, you won’t attract the right customer. And if it’s poorly presented, it won’t sell nearly as well as it deserves to.

Well-designed media works by increasing the perceived value of your business or product. And it works by increasing recognition: people remember a good logo, packaging and presentation often more than they do differences between individual products or services. Consumer recognition increases consumer confidence, which in turn increases sales.
That’s the bottom line.

Jill Bell Design and Lettering will help you market your business or product in the most visually appealing and appropriate way possible. We’ve been improving other people’s looks for over 15 years–creating corporate identity and collateral for clients as diverse as banks and business consultants to film and entertainment industry clients. Good design makes sense."

Jill Bell ©2001

 REMEMBER: Instructions for all homework's are to be rewritten in the sketchbook (so as to avoid confusion) and then completed according to instructions in the sketchbook.

The Applied Arts include:

1.  Graphic Design - When words and pictures (type and illustration, as in this work by Jill Bell) are used together.  Especially when the words (type) are an integral part of the finished image.  Graphic Designs are usually intended to be published and printed in large quantities. (Advertising, magazine covers, posters, packages etc.)  Art Center College of Design  See these great Graphic Design Studios - Group Four Design, Jill Bell has a great site with lots of terrific examples of Type, Calligraphy, and Graphic Design 

What makes this a Graphic Design?  What part is the illustration? (Image by Kevin Hulsey)

2.  Industrial Design - Mass produced products, usually mechanical, designed for visual appeal and comfort.  Branch of artistic activity that came into being as a result of the need to design machine-made products, introduced by the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.  The purpose of industrial design is to ensure that goods satisfy the demands of fashion, style, function, materials and cost. See these fine Industrial Design Studios - RKS Design, Anderson Design. SunbergFERAR, Praxis Product Design, DesignEDGE, Teague , Nottingham - Spirk Design, Industrial Design Firm in Cleveland, Ohio (old school chums of Mr. Stanforth)

Is this a Graphic Design, an Illustration or Industrial Design? (Image by Kevin Hulsey)

3.  Package Design - Creating an enclosure for a product that has no shape or applying a graphic design to an existing box.

4.  Surface Design - The creation of designs, usually patterns, for use on flat surfaces like fabric, tile, carpet, wallpaper, etc.  Surface Design Software

5.  Fashion Design - When a surface design or plain fabric is formed into a piece of clothing or clothing accessory. Fashions by Renie

6.  Illustration -Images created to be used with words.   Images that make the words more clear.  Words are abstract.  Images can be more specific. - Norman Rockwell and other Illustrators; John James Audubon , Miller Medical Illustration, Kevin Husley: Technical Illustration,  Wayne Heim's Medical Illustrations, Ad Graphics, AIGA American Institute of Graphic Arts. 

Illustration of a Digital camera by Kevin Hulsey.

7.  Art Direction - Organizing the "look" or appearance of a publication.  Art Directors are the ones who work with the editors as well as illustrators and photographers to decide what the images and the image of a publication will be. Visit blackbook.com to view one of the premier books that Art Directors consult to hire Photographers and Illustrators.

8.  Photo/Still Imaging - Creating images on light sensitive materials, usually film and photographic paper and usually with the assistance of a camera.  In the Applied Arts photographs are produced with the purpose of reproduction or publication in mind.  George Eastman House The International Center of Photography   Wedding Photography Styles, The Taylor Photography Site,  Photojournalism from the White House News Photographers Association., and the National Press Photographers Association

9.  Film - Motion/Sound Media - Images that usually incorporate motion and sound through the medium of either Photographic film or electronic imaging.  Images that are consumed by an audience for the purpose of entertainment or emotional stimulation.  The American Film Institute. The Internet Movie Database.  Visit the web site for the Sundance Institute, home of the Sundance film festival. And don't forget, Animation, Origins of American Animation from the Library of Congress.

10.  Architecture - Design of the structures where we live, work, play, and worship.  Innovation is not nearly as important in applied arts structures as it is in the fine arts.  Welcome to the Skyscraper Museum, Architecture Magazine. Aronoff Center-DAAP at The University of Cincinnati, the Vontz Center,  School of ,  Bullock-Tice Associates Commercial Architecture Studio. 

11.  Interior (Architectural) Design - The arrangement of interior features (walls, doors, floors, lighting, ceiling etc.) of an architectural space, mainly in existing structures. For examples of Interior Design visit:; Arch-Interiors Design, Bauer Interior Design, 

12.  Printmaking - The multiple production of print (type) and images for commercial purposes.  Commercial prints are not "prints" in the fine arts sense where images are produced directly from the original.  Commercial prints are "reproductions".  With minor exception, most "Graphic Arts" printmakers are technicians not usually educated as artists.

13.  The Crafts (The Decorative Arts) - One-of-a-kind, hand made objects created for the purpose of decoration.  This would include many "sofa-sized" paintings mass produced for the so-called "starving artists" sales. Crafts of the world.

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Style

Mr. Stanforth with two Mondrian paintings at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Manhattan 

VOCABULARY WORDS: Before we being the study of Style we need to familiarize ourselves with a few words commonly used in discussions about art.

OBJECTIVE: Dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feeling, prejudices, or interpretations.

SUBJECTIVE: A personal point of view; biased.

ARCHETYPE 
Pronunciation: 'är-ki-"tIp
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin archetypum, from Greek archetypon, from neuter of archetypos archetypal, from archein + typos type
Date: 1545
1 : the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : PROTOTYPE; also : a perfect example
2 : IDEA 1a
3 : an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual

ALLEGORY                                                                                                                                                                          Function: noun,  Inflected Form(s): plural al·le·go·ries  Etymology: Middle English allegorie, from Latin allegoria, from Greek allēgoria, from allēgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + -ēgorein to speak publicly, from agora assembly — more at else, agora

1: the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence; also : an instance (as in a story or painting) of such expression                                                                                                          2: a symbolic representation : emblem 2

TABLEAU                                                                                                                                                                               Function: noun                                                                                                                                                                            Inflected Form(s): plural tab·leaux also tableaus                                                                                                                      Etymology:  French, from Middle French tablel, diminutive of table, from Old French                                                                       Date: 1660                                                                                                                                                                                       1: a graphic description or representation : picture <winsome tableaux of old-fashioned literary days — J. D. Hart>         2: a striking or artistic grouping : arrangement, scene                                                                                                                                                     3: [short for tableau vivant (from French, literally, living picture)] : a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants

Mr. Stanforth at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) with "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh.

STYLE: A grouping or classification of art works based on common traits or qualities that makes further study or analysis possible. 

1. The art of a particular historical period, nation, region, or artistic group

2. Technical or artistic approach

3. Family resemblance

4. Term of approval

5. Studying the general can help you understand the specific.

    We will simplify the study of style by categorizing all works of art, usual grouped into hundreds of specific styles, into a very general grouping of four styles:

BELOW: The realistic sculpture below, on the right of Mr. Stanforth, is Janitor, 1973 by Duane Hanson. (Milwaukee Museum of Art)

1.  REALISM - (A picture of what we SEE.)   Objective accuracy.  Demonstrates the artists interest in careful observation of the external world.  An accurate recording of what one sees.  Realism is the least intellectually challenging of the four styles and the most popular by the society at-large.  Because of a lack of education and training in drawing and the visual arts a majority of people perceive the style of realism to be the most challenging, attributing the skill to "talent" and "inspiration".  The Style of Realism was developed in the Renaissance. See these examples of realism.  And these other photography examples (not all of which are examples of REALISM - be selective.) from the ICP (International Center of Photography), George Eastman House, and Various Styles and mediums from the National Portrait Gallery .

BELOW: The formal painting to the left of Mr. Stanforth is Sir-Ris, 1950-65 by Viktor Vassarely. (Milwaukee Museum of Art)

2.  FORMALISM - (A picture of what we THINK.)   An IDEA.  Reflects a concern for absolute, ideal or essential shapes & forms that lie beyond the surface appearance of things.  Often a simplicity of forms that echoes the formulas in mathematics and logic.  This style seems to reflect our desire for an intellectually perfect order not found simply in the appearance of things (Rules). Formalism is actually the most intellectually challenging of the four styles.  Formalism is, and has always been, the main style of all advanced cultures and civilizations.  For the classic example of Formalism visit this site about Piet Mondrian , and this one for some more of his images, the Greek Orders.  The Golden Section as used in the Greek Orders and by Renaissance Artists are classic examples of a "formal" rule of proportion.  The Architecture of I.M. Pei.  The site sculpture Spiral Jetty, by Robert Smithson.  Although not fine arts, flags are applied arts, graphic examples of formalism.  Try these different web sites for a wide variety of information about flags.   American Flag and Gift (A variety of flags for sale), Superflag, the worlds largest American Flag, and The American Legion Flag Site.  Also, if you can handle it the Flag Burning Page    

3.  EXPRESSIONISM -  ( A picture of what we FEEL.)   Art reflecting an emotional interpretation of reality.  The communication of pity, despair, anxiety or rage.  Strong feeling takes precedence over everything else.  A record of feelings.   Often exaggerated size, color and linear movement (distortion).   The medium (paint etc.) seems to have been applied with greater emotional ferocity, speed, and little concern for accurate color, proportion or likeness  to the subject.  (See the work of the Post-Impressionist, Vincent VanGogh, the expressionist, Edvard Munch) - ROMANTICISM - A form of expressionism. (Appears to be realism.) A "romantic" view of a subject is a distorted and exaggerated view of reality; an overtly "sentimental" view of the world or a glorification of the exception of a time, a place, a person, a thing or situation as reality.  This would include images, as well as other depictions in art of all media, that show things, not as they are, but how we wish they were, or naively perceive them to be.    See  Maxfield Parrish (and this other sites #1, #2), Norman Rockwell ,  J.C. Leyendecker and these "Pre-Raphaelite" painters: Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Frederick Lord Leighton, Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, also the classical Romantics; J.M.W. Turner, John Constable (and these other sites; #1, #2) and  Napoleon's favorite artist, Jacque-Louis David.

Mr. Stanforth at the Louvre in Paris viewing the gigantic Painting The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Josephine, 1806-1807, by Jacques Louis David.  Is this an example of Romanticism?

4.  SURREALISM -  (literally, other than - real, the prefix "sur" means "other than") (A picture of what we DREAM.)   A record of our imaginative capacities - DREAMS.  Creating unreal images, trying to make you believe they really exist.  Usually symbolic, universal/public or private symbols.  Fantasy in the - isn't real, can't happen sense.  Surreal images juxtapose seemingly unrelated things, situations, places or people in a believable presentation. (See the work, Radioactive cats, by Sandy Skoglund.  Also her Maybe Babies.  For other surrealists see:  Salvador Dali , M.C. Escher.  Also visit Jerry Uelsmann's official site at uelsmann.net.

Below: Golconde by the surrealist Rene Magritte

A Vocabulary List of Important Styles:

Classical:  The art of ancient Greece and Rome, noted for its rationality, simplicity, balance, proportion, intellectuality and controlled emotions.

The Parthenon in Greece

Byzantine:  The art of the Eastern Empire after the fall of Rome, noted for its formality and rich use of colors.

Romanesque: The art, especially architecture, of Western Europe from 1050 to 1200.  Buildings feature round arches and solid, heavy construction in imitation of Roman styles.

Gothic: The art of late Medieval Europe, the architecture features pointed arches and light, graceful  construction; the painting strived for realism and detail.

Above: Mr. Stanforth at Notre Dame in Paris, a Gothic Cathedral.

Below: Another example of Gothic Architecture, Sainte Chapelle in Paris, with it's soaring stained glass windows and minimal wall surface.

Renaissance: The cultural milieu of Western Europe from the 14th through 17th centuries.  Artists pursued the late Gothic interests in realism and mastered such problems such as depth, perspective, and realistic lighting effects.

Baroque: The highly complex art of Europe from about 1600 to 1750, noted for the intricacy and lushness of its creations. Rococo art carries this luxuriousness to an even greater degree. 

Genre Painting: Art depicting everyday scenes.

Neo-classical: Art concerned with formality in the imitation of the classical arts

Impressionism: Art of the late 19th century concerned with accurately representing the impression of light on subjects.

Post-Impressionism: Artists, notably Cézanne, who sought a return to the organization of pictorial form, used decoration to unify the design, and exaggerated natural appearances for emotional effects.

Below: Mr. Stanforth with a painting by Cezanne at the Musee d'orsay in Paris.

Expressionism: Art concerned with transferring the artist's emotions to the creation, often depicted by a distortion in form or color.  The Fauves were French Expressionists who used vivid colors and strived for a lack of spontaneity.

Cubism: Art style invented by Picasso and Braque which presents multiple viewpoints in a single design.

Dadaism: Anti-artistic movement which championed absurdity against conventions in all aspects of culture.  It arose in protest to the madness of World War I.

Art Nouveau: art which emphasized organic forms, often to an erotic effect.

Above: Mr. Stanforth at one of the many Art Nouveau entrance structures for the Paris Metro subway system.

 Pop Art: Fine arts which depend upon commercial art and popular culture for inspiration.

 Folk Art: Art created by untrained artists, or in imitation of this naive style by trained artists.

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Some important definitions to contemplate before studying The Functions of Art

ICON: An object of uncritical devotion: IDOL.   Emblem.  Symbol.  Below are examples of religious icons.  Examples of social icons would be the depictions of modern popular culture idols by the pop artist Andy Warhol.

  CONSERVATIVE: (Copied from the Merriam-Webster On Line Dictionary) 
Pronunciation: k&n-'s&r-v&-tiv
Function: adjective
1 : PRESERVATIVE
2 a : of or relating to a philosophy of conservatism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism : as (1) : of or constituting a party of the United Kingdom advocating support of established institutions (2) : PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE
3 a : tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : TRADITIONAL b : marked by moderation or caution <a conservative estimate> c : marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners <a conservative suit>

Conservative quotes: "I believe that government is the problem, not the answer.  -Ronald Reagan, quoted from the Washington Post, April 20, 1976.  And -  "Why should we subsidize intellectual curiosity? - Ronald Reagan, campaign speech, 1980

    For a view from the Right visit this Conservative web site which gives the conservative view of politics and the world, also Town Hall: Conservative News and Information, The Conservative Activists' Home Page, Common Conservative.com, American Conservative Union, The John Birch Society, The Heritage Foundation, The Log Cabin Republicans - Conservative Gay and Lesbian Republicans.  And from the Merriam-Webster web site, their link to the ten most popular conservative web sites.

Above: Conservative, pro-Vietnam war demonstrator from the 1960's.  Photo by Diane Arbus  from 1967.  Image from Masters of Photography web site. Visit their site and view more work  by Arbus.

  LIBERAL -(copied from the Merriam-Webster On Line Dictionary)                   "Main Entry: ¹lib·er·al
Pronunciation: 'li-b(&-)r&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English lEodan to grow, Greek eleutheros free
Date: 14th century
1 a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts <liberal education> b archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth
2 a : marked by generosity : OPENHANDED <a liberal giver> b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way <a liberal meal> c : AMPLE, FULL
3 obsolete : lacking moral restraint : LICENTIOUS
4 : not literal or strict : LOOSE <a liberal translation>
5 : BROAD-MINDED; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives

synonyms LIBERAL, GENEROUS, BOUNTIFUL, MUNIFICENT mean giving or given freely and unstintingly. LIBERAL suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given <a teacher liberal with her praise>. GENEROUS stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift <a generous offer of help>. BOUNTIFUL suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing <children spoiled by bountiful presents>. MUNIFICENT suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes <a munificent foundation grant>."

Liberal Quotes: "A Radical is a man with both feet firmly planted- in the air.  A Conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.  A Reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards.  A Liberal is a man who uses his legs and his hands at the behest, at the command, of his head."  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Radio Address, October 16, 1939.   "No business which depends for existence by paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country."  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, June 16, 1933.

 For an internet view from the Left visit: American Liberal, American Humanist Association, Marianist Social Justice Collaborative, MichaelMoore.com, The National Labor Committee, The Memory Hole, TurnLeft, and http://www.tompaine.com/,   also try Web Active Directory, The American Prospect Online, Examining the Liberal Media Claim, U.S. Liberal and Electoral Politics Links, The American Civil Liberties Union, Left Wing.com, and Common Cause.  And from the Merriam-Webster web site, links to the ten most popular Liberal web sites.

  PROPAGANDA: The spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person. ( James Montgomery Flagg, "Uncle Sam Want's You.")  Also try these other sites for a variety of Propaganda.  German Propaganda Archive , Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Page, Propaganda Postcards of the Great War (WWI).

For a better understanding of politics in general follow this link to the Political Science web site of the University of California Santa Barbara Library.  Also read this essay by Greg Wilson about the Political Spectrum for a very objective view of  politics. Other web sites with lots of links to political science sites include: U of Michigan Political Science Resources, Think Tanks, The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, Important Documents.  

The Functions of Art

    The arts and artists are vital to the functioning of any society but especially to advanced and affluent cultures as we live in today.  We all make, use, buy, sell, trade, give, receive, exchange works of art as an everyday function of our normal lives.

ART SATISFIES OUR;

• PERSONAL need for expression. 

• SOCIAL need for communication celebration and display.

• PHYSICAL need for useful objects and structures.

1.  THE PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART - There are many ways (topics and reasons) in which we and other artists express ourselves. 

1. Psychological Expression - When words are not good enough.  An expression of our inner psychological state of being. 

2. Love, Sex, Marriage and Procreation - Our feelings and thoughts about our interpersonal and personal relationships.  An expression of how we feel about each other and how we see each other. 

Above:  American Gothic, 1930 by Grant Wood

3.    Death and Morbidity - Death fascinates and frightens us.  An expression of mortality or illness

(V- 32) Morbid - 1. characteristic of disease, affected with or induced by disease <a morbid condition>
2 : abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or unwholesome feelings
3 : GRISLY, GRUESOME <morbid details> <morbid curiosity>
- mor·bid·ly adverb
- mor·bid·ness noun

4.    Spiritual - Spiritual as opposed to religious art.   Religion gives us answers while the Spiritual promotes questions.  Any search for values through the use of visual form.  Tries to reveal what is sacred or holy in every day life. 

5.    Aesthetic Expression - Beautiful, pleasing, or appropriate.  Refers to nothing beyond itself.

(V- 33) Aesthetic - A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty.

Above:  Pepper #30, 1930,  Edward Weston

HOMEWORK: Look up these six words in a dictionary - not on the web - and add them to your notes.  And please, absolutely do not print or include "examples".  1. Naked, 2. Nude, 3. Censorship, 4. Pornography, 5. Politics, and 6. Ideology.

2.  THE SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART - 

ART PERFORMS A SOCIAL FUNCTION WHEN:

• It influences the collective behavior of human beings.

• It is made to be seen or used in public situations.

• It describes collective aspects of life as opposed to personal kinds of experience.

An interesting fact: Did you know that Hitler applied to the Academy of Art in Vienna, Austria but was rejected? How different the world may have been, had he been a better artist.

1. Political and Ideological Expression - An expression of social and political views.  Art that guides and instructs or improves our collective existence.  Biased? Propaganda? Revolutionary? Humanitarian?  Images created to express or promote the ideas, values, agenda or cause of a group or individual.  World War II Posters, Posters and prints by James Montgomery Flagg.  Also check out these sites for information about specific political parties.  Political Resources on the Net, is a collection of links to almost every party in the US.  Politics 1, gives an overvie