Les: . ‘Son 3: How Do | Study Art?: Reading Art Objectives: * Learn about art history, art criticism , and art theories (methodologies) * Relate art history to significant events that transpired in the last few decades jate and relevant questions * Construct proper art criticism by asking approPr and reading art * Learn the different methodologies of looking at INTRODUCTION: The most boring topic: How did Art begin? History may be quite a sedentary topic, often as familiar with chronological events. However, if we wan! appropriate to just look into the lens of the past. How can we better we do not know how it has been influenced by artists who strove to evolve the meat of art? fe a quick run through of a : 1e analogies and appropriations in art came In the first lesson, we will have this, we can better understand the present and where som‘ : have knowledge of historical context: the experience of ar from. Writing about art will also be easier ifwe will become more holistic and more fulfilling. sociated with memorizing events and becomny it to have sensible knowledge about art, understand the climate of art now ¢ ning and expressicn historical markers in the art scene. Throup ‘A.detail of neoclassical relief at the National Museum old senate session hall Weaved into this lesson is the topic of Art Criticism that will help and guide you in knowing what kinds of works to select and hopefully enhance your taste in art. 22. | ARTAPPRECIATIONsuggests a certain attitude toward painting or any art-making. Quick Facts: ' ‘An art period is a specific length of time in history with a prominent mover u nt nations ment, trend, or creed Art movements are sets of distinguishable styles and artistic tendencies ofte icterized ’ ji H n characteri ‘a major trend in techniques or approach, Usually, they are named with the suffix ism’ at the er Fe ee ArtHistory Quick Map: This quick guide to Art History is intended to be brief and concise but should also prod you into further exploration of some art periods. Prehistoric: = Cave paintings, Venus figurines which are considered portable sculptures - Greek standard of beauty: the birth of the “Classical” Age Romans: the competitor of Greece; created realistic sculptures of human figure Middle Ages The ‘death’ of artistic freedom due to canonical standards of visual interpretation ~The rise of Gothic art especially in Gothic Churches Popular art: Stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts Renaissance - Revival of artistic genius Where the term “Renaissance Man’ was derived because of man's intellectual achievements in the arts and science The time of “Masters” e.g., Donatello, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Van Eyck Baroque = Grandiose and ornate art Attistic innovation: “spotlight effect” called chiaroscuro or in extreme usage, it is called tennebrism ts to note: Caravagt (designer of “Sagrada Fami (Italy), Velazquez (Spain), Poussin (France), and Antonio Gat " chapel in Barcelona) 23 cooper rat's sown? |ee ee eee ee {9th Century 5 20th Century Modern Art Art During the Wars ‘20th Century to Contemporary Emergence of “isms” Neoclassicism: Greek and Roman Classics revived Romanticism, Realism, Art Nouveau, Impressionism Photography comes into the scene Postimpressionism, early expressionism, and symbolism ‘Art became more non-representational Garish colors explored in Fauvism Abstracted sculptures emerged ‘Simplified forms in paintings by Picasso and Matisse Art movements: Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Expressionism Mondrian's purely geomettio art Dadaism: the art movement that defies logic Surrealism: stepping into the dreamworld ‘American art blossoms: Jackson Pollock became famous as ‘Jack the Dripper” and paved the way for American Abstract Expressionism Mobile Sculptures (Alexander Calder) and Color Field (Rothko) paintings also became prominent Highly experimental and radical Pop art defines consumer culture; dominated mostly by works of Andy Warhol Minimalism: glorifying the simplest art elements Birth of conceptual art Photography is further developed which paved way to art movement, Photorealism Neo-expressionism or new expressionism is characterized by strong subject matters Contemy —. death ae very diverse art scene; the rise of appropriation, photography-derved Style of art, experimental works, multimedia and multi-modal art ART APPRECIATIONACTIVITY: To make this learning about art history more intentional, let us further process and assess the information provided previously. Learn more about some of the art periods through this activity: 4, Split the class into groups of 8 2. Assign each member of the group with a particular art period, 3, Search books, e-books or you may refer to the pdf book (compiled in the accompanying CD of the book) about the assigned topic. Then, collect 2 - 4 pictures that would best represent each art period. Do not collect more than four. Pick artworks that intrigue you and that which you will be able to discuss to the class. The objective is for the students to become familiar with the historical period where the artwork belongs. 4, — Compile the works (in no particular order) in either of these formats: © PowerPoint slides o Picture booklet 5. Play a game in the class. Each group will show their output and let the others guess which period it belongs to. Give an explanation about every artwork after revealing the correct F answer. Insight: If art history is an objective study on art, art criticism will teach us how to apply critical thinking when looking and interpreting forms of art. Hence, history directs us to a more holistic critique of art. Art Criticism ‘Artworks are didactic in nature, therefore they demand a response. However, oftentimes, being ‘confronted by artworks is quite perplexing. Meaning is sometimes inaccessible to the commonplace re person. However, if you are a work of art, how would you like to be criticized? Do you want to be judged or ‘dismissed right away? Or would you rather be examined carefully first before arriving at a conclusion? Most of us will choose the latter. It is the same with artwork analysis and art criticism. Indeed, it is “more proper to know more about an artwork before arriving at a judgment. TIVITY AND ANALYSIS: Let us say we are in a gallery. There is a particular work that strikes you. The curator comes toyou ‘asks you how he may help. You do not know exactly where to start with your queries. How do you fally read an artwork? You just know that you like it. Some people have a background in psychology art criticism that makes them familiar with semiotics (study of signs). But what if you have none of ? Chapter 1 That's Art,SoWhat? | 25 j26 Let us say this artwork below is whall you saw. AN, 4 Now, critique the work based on the following. Write your answers on the ‘spaces provided. Formal qualities: simply enumerate the elements that you see: the quality of lines, shapes, 000 etc, : : oN Q This_ artwork emphasiee an ‘indicect mood and actin Style OF color lines cand 2 hapes and _tohn 5 blued but meantying : | ART APPRECIATION‘Subject matter: What is the artist tackling about? Can you see any representational forms? If none, what do you think is the main subject matter? the tsiena of the lec J Shin 6 that i has seme thi conmechors with He yowth or A message fay the Ysuth Composition: Consider the arrangement of objects, people, or elements. What is most prominent? Who of what is on the foreground, middle ground, and background? T belied tha} the por bat iMkndd fo give a sence of the gpk of the yorth We dicate the fine whidh dows wound ga Technique: Looking at the technique and manner of painting and composition, how is it related to the atts objective? Whi luolaing of She painhing » 4 realized that the ari obyechves Te ty rekain mokvake and ayidle the youth ve today with ‘ik gure Yhkenhins ond gua. Content: What do you think te artwork is all about after carefully examining its parts? What story, what message, and what argument is the artist trying to tell? The _orhih & 4eudny ty awaken Yous) peuple ty have a sence or peo and witdam. Ase, the piece hac ike messane b thir Gu\_ more pity, anni? Thyeaisn and nd Chand ry, lige 6. Analysis: Further dig into the arfs's intention in terms of the relationship of each part tothe whole. Keep asking why, and try to answer them based.on visual clues. Research further if needed, especially if there is historical connection, Ac whed T haw olherved , HS piece ag somethin Te de with tee Pook mole to Ypath T+ has a sip meaning within ig content and alo ty He cnkxt. Nabcally Yo a yealithc bind ve oyt » 7. Your own criticism about the work: provide a coherent and convincing judgment about the work. This ortwok_rromes on a Qicrevent elcinent that Is part oe larqey ork omb i _dafian, The artist has the ability to’ |ok the big pichwe, AM, and genevabna J ake happenabse “op Acymtat Wives, What you have just done here is an exercise in art criticism. As you can see, it takes some careful observation before one can deduce meaning and interpretation about an artwork. This is just a suggestion ‘on how you can critique better and apply it to almost any work of art. a cnactor a that's art Sonat? | 27Assessment: - Sa aE Many of us like entertainment and social media. It is flamboyant, noisy, and easily catches oy, attention. We often just take in the information and news they provide without sifting through them ang realigning what we have heard or seen with our values as a person. In the discipline of art criticism, what did i teach you about the act of looking? Should you just acoept what is placed before you? Why do you think itis better to counter-check every judgment or thought that comes into our heads, not just in art, but also in everyday life? Write down your thoughts: Wudging pit of worl mem giving th tank 10 ration 7 dy Works ang considiring a very ‘import ath aspeth F tht WGnal : era th tt - Th. ants ang ic originally, MM Evendom lice T dart belive : 1 WL can ever Free Onceved Mm ‘\udhemed enbirel Buk with Vruvease amwdrenes) We can lwep or gndgement more yinly. ABSTRACTION: ‘Art Criticism as mentioned by James Elkins in the essay, What Happened to Art Criticism, is @ discipline ofthe ars that seems tobe both heathy and dying: you lve ina oly where there are at galleres and museums, you will nie that these institutions produce exhibit notes and pamphlets tha Give @ lite bit of informative and elaboraive witing about the artworks on display. However this & not widely practiced inthe academe, especialy in terms of General Education. Do you think this isan important skill to learn? Why or’ why not? Methods in Reading Art: What is a method? Think of methods as filters that help you appreciate aspects of art in different lenses. ‘There are some “filters” that are more effective than others, especially when we talk about context and content. Have you encountered philosophy as a required, subject to study? Philosophy has been man's attempt to make sense of why we do what we do. If we want to become more diverse in our approach to learning, art methodologies is one of the means and these are mainly hinged on long-held philosophies. Depending on what the art is talking about and where it is from, we can read it in a non-biased way through these approaches: 4. Formalism and Style - basically gives importance to the formal qualities (art elements, materials, and design principles) as basis for the meaning of art. Roger Fry is a major purveyor of this thinking. The form is the content per se and does not take history and context into account. 28 | ART APPRECIATIONIeonography — Fi you ill feeliceel bet matter primarly over form, Whien using this method, : : : i Why did he artist choose this image plete artist painted and what does itrepresent? Contextual Approaches — From the to cian artwork ere, We cantakemanyaponchon amon facr in ‘i Ry approaches to contexts like Mar Colonialism, Racial Iconography, Feminism, and Gender. he a en ae ae mainly schools of thought and philosophical movements which place an artwork within a Sc be sank, Marxism is about art in relation to economics, On the other nd, Feminism is bent toward the societal context of art wherein gender be factor in the forces behind an artistic creation, : ° comes 9 s¥ong Biography and Autobiography - Considers the life and context ofthe artist. This approach is based on the assumption that the artists life, beliefs, choices, and personality are directly connected to the works that he or she creates. ‘Semiotics - From the Greek word “sema,” which means sign. Hence, an artwork or art form is assumed to be composed of a set of signs that may have significant cultural and contextual meanings beyond itself. Psychoanalysis — Freud is probably a familiar name in the field of psychology and he is one of the basis of this theory. In psychoanalysis, one is concerned about the unconscious mind in relation to the artist, the viewer, and the cultural context itis involved in Aesthetics and Psychoanalysis - Individual notion of what is considered acceptable, beautiful, or attractive in works of art are in part influenced by psychological factors. This approach then connects psychology to one’s constructed philosophy of art. chapter 1 That's Art, So what? | 29