Artisan of History

Week Six Materials-- Feb 14 & 16

2012-02-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1908

Week Six Swinging • Landscapes February 14 & 16

Tuesday, Feb 14^th Valentine’sDay.

France and England Steal the Center Swinging Rococoand Sedate Neoclassicism

Homework: Read Donald Posner on Swinging located in blackboard content file. Read Sayre 477-484.
Make good notes on the readings in your notebook. these are fairly simple,straightforward readings.

Key Question: How and When did art become a laughing matter?

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist, title, date, period and the significance as y you come to understand it based on readings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Key Works

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Bathers, 479,

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Happy Accident of the Swing, not in book

Marie-Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Duchess of Polignac, 1783, p. 480

Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat, 1793

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814 (483)

Eugéne Delacroix, Odalisque, 1845, (483)

END of keyworks. Below images from Posner Reading.

Jean-Antoine Watteau. The Shepherds. c. 1717-19.

Lancret, The Swing,

Fragonard, Blind Man's Bluff, 17

Fragonard, The Swing, 1775

Fragonard, Blind Man's Bluff, 1755

Fragonard, The See Saw, 1755

Fragonard, The Wardrobe,

Baudouin, Lover's Surprised,

Thursday, February 16^th Landscapes

Homework: sketch keyworks carefully then come to class ready to enjoy, learn, and draw.

Key Works sketch or otherwise represent in your notebook. recordartist, title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand itbased on readings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

[Poussin, Landscape, (478)]

[LorraineA Pastoral Landscape, (476)]

Ruisdale, Viewof Haarlem, (476)

Friedrich, Monkby the Sea (486)

[Frederic Edwin Church, Heartof the Andes, (487)]

JMW Turner, Rain,Steam and Speed (96)

Key Works and Info for Midterm Exam

2012-02-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

For 'your' assigned key work, please look up artist, title, date, period, and explore the significance. Remember that significance takes a fact or observation about the painting and ties it to a larger idea or meaning. The facts/observations could have to do with the formal qualities of the works, or with their content. The larger significance takes these facts and explains how they tell us something about the period or context from which the artworks came, the history of art as a whole, or connections or differences between artworks that show something about history or art history.

Please choose a second key work from this list to look up and make basic notes about. That way, if someone is absent, we can hopefully cover for them!

During the time of the exam, I will project 5 key works for you to identify, then ask you to write an extended comparison between a Renaissance work and a Baroque work. You may or may not have seen the works, and I will provide a couple choices. I expect you to write carefully, descriptively, and informatively, given the time restrictions, in your own style, working toward a specific point or conclusion.

To prepare for this, study the definitions and differences between renaissance and baroque art, and, equally importantly, study the way authors like Simon Schama (in the videos the Power of Art) and Henry Sayre (from the text book) and any other writers you admire (perhaps those who describe films or performances for reviews). Find some resources on writing about art that I shared with you in class last term here and here

As Always, let me know if you have questions!

Massaccio, Expulsion from Eden, 1428 Early Renaissance

best painter of his time because of his skill in representing lifelike figures, movement and emotions as well as 3-dimensionality. use of Linear perspective.
employed chiaroscuro for greater realism
adam and eve shamed, cut off from god and chased from the garden of eden by a threatening angel
heavily influenced michelangelo, in particular because of michelangelo's relationship with ghirlandaio, who was influence by massaccio in terms of his religious beliefs.
we see dramatic new emphasis on the emotional response of the figures, hinting at the psychological complexity of the players.

Angel as warrior, signifying...

Adam and Eve covering different body parts in shame (the former his face, the latter her breasts and genitalia); Eve's face almost grotesque, signifying...

Dürer, Adam and Eve woodblock, 1504 (206) German Renaissance
first full-scale nude painting in germany showing the comparison between ITalian mores and german ones... and the influence of italian renaissance artists on germany.. the painting shows us a example of the perfect human form.... by giving us a symmetrical or mirror image view of idealized poses of the male and female. represents the four temperaments with the four animals. adam holds a branch from the mountain ash representative of the tree of life and eve holds a fig plucked from the tree of knowledge. shows us durer's exacting representation of objects rendered from life.

Adam and Eve

For one, this is the first of Durer's works to have his name plate inside of the piece, something he would put into all of his works after this one. The piece is also known for its iconography in the use of animals drawn to represent the four different humors, the bodily fluids that were thought to make up human... cat=choleric hot tempered rabbit=sanguine cool tempered ox=phlegmatic calm elk=melancholic depressed showing durer's interest in human individuality and temper

Leonardo,Madonna of the Rocks, 1483-86 (94-96) High Ren
one of the first examples of atmospheric perspective which you see in the background where objects change clolor and change position in the frame because of the layers of atmosphere shown between us and them.
also may be use of tenebrism which is high contrast between very very dark even gloomy background.
lighting not naturalistic but showing that they are lit within
foreshortening in the figures.... particularly virgin's hand
reflectography has revealed radical changes to the composition over time revealing leonardo's practice of changing and modifying as he went.... 'never finishes anything'
two versions of this painting exist, with the only difference being the angels two faces.

LEonardo, Vitruvian man, 1492 renaissance
circle represents cosmic in divine, square represent secular and earthly
because the man fits in both, represents a metaphysical ideal.
personal belief of leonardo's that the divine could be found in the human body, that by studying the human body you could make discoveries about the nature of the universe... so this serves as a metaphor for that.
perhaps that is the reason for the double sets of arms and legs, one represents spiritual body, one physical
before this image, christ on cross was ideal symbol of earthly and divine in human form.
named after vitruvius, famous roman architect who believed architecture should be an imitation of human and who saw human body as ideal source of perfect proportions, hence, classical orders of circle, triangle, square the basic forms of classical orders based in their connection to human proportions.
Exemplifies the blend btw art and science. recent evidence suggests this was not the first attempt at drawing this image.... a friend of leonardo's giacomo andrea da ferrera may have worked it out before or with leonardo.... ferrera's may have come first... raising questions about originality or inventiveness in our idea of leonardo's work

Leonardo,Mona Lisa, 1503-1505(457) High Renaissance
Mona Lisa

During the mid 19th century, the Mona Lisa began to be referred to as a "femme fatale" because of her ordinary nature. She was just the wife of a rich man, not a goddess or some biblical figure. Poet Theophile Gautier described her as being "... an open text into which one could read what one wanted; probably because she was not a religious image; and, probably, because the literary gazers were mainly men who subjected her to an endless stream of male fantasies." Due to this fact, one didn't have to relate her to a certain story or stories and instead could, as Gautier put it, fantasize about her in whatever way they liked.

Manipulation of light and shadow which imparts blurred features giving the image mystery. shows renaissance interest in psychology, not just physical looks. The half smile adds to this. She may have been the wife of a florentine banker, but the uncertainty about her identity adds to the mystery.

Highly influential on modern day pop culture including dan brown's da vinci code, Andy warhol's copies, Duchamp, LHOOQ, 1919.
most famous painting in the world?
shows leonardo's use of sfumato= smokiness a kind of haziness of atmosphere that softens the features and the shadows

drawing suggests that michelangelo worked from a male model,
sketch that michelangelo used to make the libyan sibyl
executed in red chalk
suggests he used a male model
gives closeups of muscle tones and features.

Michelangelo, LibyanSibyl (228-229)' High Renaissance
1508-1512
sibyls were prophetic women resident in shrines and temples in classical world. Michelangelo chose five out of at least ten sibyls in classical history....
she is known for the prophecy of the coming king born of a virgin what does that signify
features twisted contrapposto... achieved by her putting all of her weight on her front toe.
like many of michelangelo's pieces, he used a male model for this prophetess.

foretold that she would tell 'the coming of the day when that which is hidden shall be revealed' which has an apocalytic tone typical to christianity... those around her turn away and don't listen.

Michelangelo, Creationof Adam 1508-1512 (108) High Renaissance
located on the ceiling of the sistine chapel in vatican city, rome
one of the most popular images of god which has given us a picture of god as graybearded old man
use of foreshortening in the whole sistine ceiling gives convincing perspective even in an architecturally complicated space.
naked figures caused point of contention with the pope
use of vivid color very influential and also controversial and also made contentious again during restoration in the 1980's
one of most famous images in all of history so many pieces of it have been copied or used
michelangelo studied brains, some people have detected a similarity between god's unusual cloud of angels and the human brain, tied to the brain's role in creation by artists.....
sistine ceiling is the great tragedy of michelo's life... because he didn't want to do it as he wanted to sculpt instead

Raphael, Schoolof Athens 1510 high renaissance 40 x 37 feet (458-9
in the vatican in the stanze della segnatura, one of most famous frescoes in the italian renaissance, depicts theme of philosophy, aristotle is likely main figure, though there is no absolute documentation of who is represented. plato and aristotle do seem to be the central figures. both hold books. plato distinguished by old age, aristotle more youthful, gestures outwards.
the building raphael painted in shape of greek cross suggestive of a compromise between pagan and christian ideas
varieties of visual arrows create a lively atmosphere in which the viewer can indulge.
you can see the personalities of each philosopher... suggesting renaissance emphasis on individuality.
unc asheville has a scale recreation of this image on their campus
raphael painted the giant work for julius II when he was 27 years old.
great thinkers of previous eras represented
plato and aristotle fit neatly under the central arch of the coffered vault
one point perspective
looks more like a stage than a school or other locale
raphael too included a self portrait
composition reminiscent of leonardo's last supper but with deeper space involved
much of the expressive nature owes to michelangelo, who is represented in the image as Heraclitus in the foreground

Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1500, northern renaissance
bosch's most ambitious and unconventional work.
only a few pieces like it in history in style... a triptych so full of tiny figures
opened the gateway for new ideas and styles .... first to depict monsters and chimeras in this style and many others have followed him.
heavily influenced many artists, particularly brueghel.
appears to be representation of eden (god presents eve to adam), garden of earthly delights (some see it as a lost paradise, but many more see it as a mortal warning, warning the viewer to avoid a life of sinful pleasure... lest they go to...), hell (consequences of the sinful pleasure)... god absent from earth panel.... human free will and its consequences....
no surviving record of bosch's thoughts or writings about his purposes and intentions, but he did paint himself in as the 'tree man' in the right panel of hell.
there's also a drawing of the tree man not in hell but in a lush background like the other two panels.
the exterior show a mysterious grisaille world which might be the world after the apocalypse or before full creation
many surrealists have paid homage in word or picture to bosch

Michelangelo, Slave (Atlas) 1513-20 (291) marble high renaissance
from intended tomb of julius II
ironic in that it is unfinished and shows the stone encompassing atlas because he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
reveals michelangelo's working process... a kind of behind the scenes at michelangelo's studio

commissioned by pope julius II, who died before they were finished.

one of six different slave pieces, but four, which are all unfinished, exist in florence the other two in the louvre in paris. . this one depicts the myth of atlas holding the world on his shoulders. in this unfinished state, it shows that the weight of the world has pressed back on atlas' head.,.. for his head can't even emerge from the stone.
the unfinished slaves line the corridors leading to michelangelo's david.
atlas, slave awakening, slave bearded, young slave, dying slave, rebellious slave
they were never finished because they fit the original tomb of julius but because of redesigns and reductions in the original plan they were left out and never finished.

Michelangelo, David 1501-1504 (49-456)high renaissance
terribilitá expression of his face suggests contained energy or violence
depicts david before his battle with goliath which is unusual because most artists had chosen to show him after the battle
he stands in a relaxed contrapposto, but he caries his tension and power in his face
the slingshot slung over his shoulder is nearly invisible, suggesting his victory comes from cleverness, not shear force.
marble david was carved from had many flaws and cracks; many artists before michelangelo had been offered the stone but refused it.
in a way, the stone could represent goliath, this unconquerable 16 foot marble
meant to be viewed only from one angle, a low angle

Bernini, David(131) 1624 Baroque
revolutionary because of the sense of movement and psychological depth
sense of it being incomplete because the viewer has to imagine the figure of goliath
shows concentration, aggression anger
has helenistic appearance in the active drapery and dramatic or theatrical emotion and spiraling motion also great markers of the baroque

meant to be seen from all angles
far more dynamic than michelangelo's version
face shows sheer determination and force needed to face his adversary
he winds up in readiness to take the killing blow
challenges the space around the viewer... you have to walk around it but also he steps off the plinth like michelangelo's figures in the sistine ceiling, forcing the viewer to recognize that they share space with david. it captures a brief moment in time instead of trying to show the whole story by depicting the climax.
bernini seeks to capture this moment before the powerful moral message part of the story.
bernini was 24 years old when he completed this piece... he was commissioned/bribed by cardinal borghese to complete the piece to some degree against his will.
Bernini's David which was made started in 1623 and completed in 1624. It's period is the Baroque period. Something significant about the piece is that it responds to a character that isn't there, Goliath. This statue engages the viewer more because it challenges the limitations of space and time. Bernini captures the exact moment in time where David is about to release a stone from his sling. It portrays a continuous motion in one snapshot. It is also a three dimensional sculpture that changes depending on which angle it is viewed from. This makes it stand out from statues of the renaissance that subjected the viewer to only one view of the statue.

Bernini, Ecstasyof St. Theresa 1645-52(471-472) Baroque
around 1645-52 bernini depicted angel and nun which explains the story of st theresa who's conversion took place after the death of her father. she experienced visions, heard voices, and felt persistent and piercing pains in her side caused by the flaming arrow of divine love.
very thatrical with hidden window above so figures glow in heavenly light which the gilded bronze rays of light underscore.
the theater box across the way with spectators underscore this operatic intention.
rudolf wittkower explains: they belong to our space and our world
little did bernini know, this piece would inspire banksy and tony kushner's pulizer prize play angels in america.
21 years after canonization of theresa, chapel built in theresa's honor, this piece 'saved' bernini from dishonor after the failure of st peter's towers, whose design had them built on swampy, unstable ground.
referred to as the culmination of the counter reformation in art.
like his earlier pieces, like rape of proserpina and apollo and daphne, this work combines sexuality to spiritual stories and demonstrates an intensity of theatricality. similarly, the chapel as a whole shows his interest in theatricality...
although the mix of religious and erotic imagery was extremely offensive at a time of neoclassical restraint, bernini sought to portray religious experience as an intensely physical one.

Caravaggio,Calling of St. Matthew, (473-474) Baroque

little details and choice, like the fact that christ's feet turn toward the door as if to say that he will not stay to await answer tell the stories.
similarly, the tiny halo is only indicator that this is christ. caravaggio also makes a commentary on the greedy, who don't even notice christ at first until the young boys draw him in.

broke a standard of christian art at the time... rather than placing it in idealistic fantasy location he set the scene in a poor place of low lives. christ is covered by darkness, which puts more emphasis on the hand, the gesture which is doing the actual action of transforming matthew from sinner to saint.

this piece influenced a major shift in rome from mannerism to naturalism... at the front of this movement toward naturalism in rome.

Caravaggio, The Young Bacchus, (not in book) Baroque
worth noting the vibrations in the wine, a sign of caravaggio's technical prowess and the unnaturalness of the boy's pose, also typically caravaggesque attention to detail.
signboard for caravaggio's skills... he can paint still-life, portrait, original subjects, history painting

[ArtemesiaJudith and Holofernes] 1612-1620 Baroque
grusome painting shows two stories-- that of judith and holofernes, and many say, the story of artemesia imagining herself exacting revenge on the man who raped and others who abused her as well. trial of tassi took place in 1611-12, and many believe this is when this image is painted.
the gruesomeness of artemisias painting is unrivaled... caravaggio's image comes no where near this quality of horror.
caravaggio's women look nowhere near as satisfied with their kill as those in artemesia's work. artemesia intensifies the suffering of holofernes as well. caravaggio shows holofernes, mouth open, a theatrical display of suffering as uncringeworthy as the blood pouring from his neck. artemesia shows holofernes suffering, his eyes rolling back in his head, the sword slowly sawing thru muscle and bone.

Judith slaying Holofernes by Artemesia Gentileschi, so I figured I'd email you my research for the website.

It was made around 1620.
Artemesia herself is depicted as Judith, and Agostino Tassi is depicted as Holofernes. Agostino Tassi was her mentor, but he also raped her, and this was possibly painted after his trial for her rape, as a visual and violent depiction of her "revenge"
It's greatly influenced by Caravaggio's version of the same subject, especially with the modern day dress, the dramatic and violent content, and lack of decorative background.
However, the satisfaction and determination in the faces of the two women is attributed solely to Gentileschi, she made them look like they were determined, and possibly even pleased to be beheading Holofernes, as Holofernes writhes in pain and obvious torture, another gruesome detail that seems to be more intensely explored by Gentileschi than others.
The struggle is seen mainly in the details- the positioning of the arms of Judith, the expression of concentration in both the maid and judith's faces, the grasping and twisting of Holofernes's body, and the futile flailing of his arms
Restoration done to the painting has caused a lot of details to be removed, such as parts of their expressions, wrinkles in the faces, etc.
Could be seen as a symbolic, a painting that provides justice for herself and other victims of Tassi, or just rape victims in general.

[CaravaggioJudith and Holofernes]1598-99 Baroque
a whole book in the apocrypha of the bible is devoted to judith, because as a woman she embodies the power of the people of israel to defeat the enemy, though superior in numbers, by means of cunning and courage. she seeks out holofernes in his tent, makes him drunk, then beheads him. the sight of their commander's bloodstained head on the battlements put the enemy to flight
caravaggio shows the most dreadful moment
uses tenebrism
shows the second that the sword cuts across holofernes' nexk, taking his head off
shows caravaggio's dramatic style
highly realistic details

Velazquez, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), p. 155 great resource Baroque
the maids of honor, or Las Meninas, painted in 1656 is arguably the first modern work of western art.
it is so called for its naturalism, in that it captures moment in time and space that seems accurate to reality. Diego's famous self-portrait is full of both hidden and blatant representation with deeper symbolic meaning. for ex, we can see the reflection of the royal couple, king philip IV of spain's goldenage. the mirror is behind the heads of the possible subjects of the painting of las meninas. these characters of the royal court stare out at the viewer, seeming to raise our importance further... the painting also glorifies velazquez's image as court painter...
the paintings in the background relate to court painters prior to this one.

Rembrandt, SelfPortrait in the studio, 1629 Baroque
oil on wood
artist in the photo stands away from the canvas and gives us insight into tartists at that time.
artist looks off to the side of the canvas, at the viewer, see his thinking
rembrandt uses chiaroscuro and plays with light in his paintings and does a lot of self-portraits.
22 year old rembrandt stands contemplating his work in a bare studio. this self-portrait is only slightly larger than a normal sheet of writing paper. it's a reflexive piece of art whos type was popular with dutch artists of the time. this one differs in its striking starkness which is opposed to the cluttered sumptuousness of other typical genre scenes.
It looks like he wears gloves, which might indicate his intelligent care with the use of paints replete with neurotoxins which might explain his personality differences from the wild caravaggio.
velazquez' las meninas represents some similar themes... 28 years later rembrandts shows a stoic representation of thought and preparation whereas velazquez reepresents a moment happening in a busy room.
he uses light and dark and the sides of the canvas to suggest the intimidating, looming quality of the confrontation between artist and canvas. the illumination of the canvas and the foreground takes front and center as the major subject.

Grading Criteria for written portion:
1. 2-3 sharp insights about each artwork including observations regarding its formal qualities and content. 15pts each work for 30%

2. Careful writing that describes the artwork and comes to life vividly with its Beauty, Power, Precision, Incisiveness, or other great charm 20%

3. Your ability to USE your description to make clear point(s) about Renaissance and Baroque Sensibilities. 20%

(and the 25% for the id's!)

Week Four: Making The Modern Artist: Maids of Honor

2012-01-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

Caravaggio, The Young Bacchus, 1597

Week Four: Baroque Around Europe
Tuesday, January31: Caravaggio and Artemesia

Homework! Viewing: Simon Schama’s Power of Art: Caravaggio. Dvd available in library or follow links here. Reading: Henry Sayre pp. 469-476

Key Questions: What new questions provoke Baroque artists? How wouldyou describe the Baroque style?

Key Works: sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no needto sketch works in brackets]

Caravaggio,Calling of St. Matthew, 1600 (473-474)

Caravaggio, The Young Bacchus, 1597 (not in book)

[ArtemesiaJudith and Holofernes]

[CaravaggioJudith and Holofernes]

Thursday, February 2: Making The Modern Artist: VelazQuezMaids of Honor

Homework: Read Sayre 150-156and the articleby Foucault .

Thisis a big reading week. I have posted Foucault’s important article onclassification and knowledge online for you, together with a list of questionsto answer in your notebook. Save energy for it, and answer all questions inyour notebook. Consider writing your own definition of art, modern, modern art,modernism, Artist

Key Question: Can you make a case for why Las Meninas gets the title ‘first modern painting?’ What does yourself-portrait look like?

Key works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion

Velasquez, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), p. 155

Velasquez, Portrait of Mariana, p. 154

Rembrandt, SelfPortrait in the studio,

Vermeer, Allegory of Painting, (169)

"Las Meninas" Introduction to The Order of Things, an Archeology of Knowledge by Michel Foucault.

The second reading comes from French theorist Michel Foucault. Like most French theory, it deals in tiny details, and Foucault writes in a typically French style which constantly circles back around on itself to check for holes and to seek a new way of writing appropriate to the content (in this case, the way looking at and representing involve maneuvers of power. The chapter contains only about 10 pages, but I imagine you'll find it very dense. To help you, I offer three ways that you can go about completing the assignment:

download the pdf from blackboard, under CONTENT, print it, and read it carefully OR

download the pdf, print it, and follow along as you and watch the three videos below, where I read and annotate much of the tech (best option!, by far!!! stop and start as necessary, making careful notes) the password is arh102

watch the three videos, making careful notes.

Either way, make sure you keep good notes. I'd like every person to offer an informed comment in class next week that shows you've given energy to the article.

Las Meninas part one from betsy towns on Vimeo.
***After watching this segment, you may feel more confused when you felt upon first looking at the painting. Please be ready to describe in class what you thought the subject of the painting was upon first seeing it, and what you think it is now.

Watching the next segment, imagine having a painter represent you. How much power do they have and how much do you have as you pose? How much power does the commissioner have?

Looking at You Looking at Me from betsy towns on Vimeo.

***In your notebook, comment on the types of representation and types of space you see here. In the next segment, Foucault finally introduces the main characters, and explains how knowing their names can mislead you into thinking you know the subject of the painting. Before you watch it, make some notes about what you think the subject is now, if it has changed.

Pure Reciprocity from betsy towns on Vimeo.

Foucault does not explain specifically why he thinks the names of the characters don't matter. But he gives hints. Can you grapple with why he believes this, and why he would use this close reading of a painting as the introduction to a book about knowledge and power.
Now that you have read the Foucault, approach Las Meninas with a more traditional method. Homework: Read Sayre 150-156

As you read the Sayre, consider the reasons and methods artists use. Study Diego Velasquez' painting Las Meninas, and try to discover how and why he places emphasis where he does. Make some notes to share in class.

Key Question: Can you make a case for why Las Meninas gets the title ‘first modern painting?’ What does your self-portrait look like?

Key works

Velasquez, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), p. 155

Velasquez, Portrait of Mariana, p. 154

Rembrandt, Self Portrait in the studio,

fyi... the rembrandt is tiny, 9" high; the velazquez is giant, 125 " high!I think I've still made the rebrandt too big by comparison!

Vermeer, Allegory of Painting, (169)

'Lecture' Slides Jan 31: Navigating the World of Style

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Renaissance:revival of classical knowledge generally and particularly about art; rise ofpatronage in the arts; emphasis on perspective in painting and with it shading,emphasis on individual and physical features, and interest in clarity and humandignity; rise of self-awareness of the artist/artist as individual. Leonardo,Michelangelo, Raphael

Mannerism: the‘stylish style’ emerging about 1525, in which artists emphasize individualistic features of theirparticular style rather than suppressing them as the punctilioussness of Renaissanceneoclassicism would indicate; emphasis on refinement, elegance, individualism,and wit. Vasari, Correggio, Parmigianino. From the Italian word maniera, mannerism indicates “the quality ofstylishness that indicated ease of manner, virtuosity, fluency.” (H and F 497) "Highly individualistic and mannered, or consciously artificial... dedicated to invention..." (Sayre 469)

Correggio, Assumption of the Virgin, 1530

Correggio, ASsumption, 1530, Mannerist; Titian, Assumption, 1518, Renaissance

Baroque: styleemerging about 1600 in Italy that spread throughout Europe. Theatricality, drama. "Genius increasingly defined in terms of elaboratedecoration, emphasis on motion and clearly articulated detail serve emotionallycharged, dramatic and exuberant works." (Sayre) Caravaggio (exagerated lighting andnaturalism) Rubens (sumptuous display), Bernini (spiraling, active, often violent works), Velasquez. “Exuberant decorative richness, dynamic richness, and predominantlyreligious emotionalism.” (Honour and Fleming.)

Fromthe portuguese word barrocco, meaning deformedshell, the term was originally derogatory and indicated deviation from the normas much as elaboration

Anibale Carracci, Assumption, 1590

Caravaggio, The Young Bacchus, 1596

Caravaggio, The Sick Bacchus, 1593

Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

Caravaggio, Boy Bitten by a Lizard, 1595

Boy with a Basket of Fruit, 1593

Artemesia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1611

Artemesia Gentileschi, Judith and her Maidservant, 1618

Artemesia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1611

Carvaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, 1599

Caravaggio, David with the Head of Goliath, 1609-10

Michelangelo, David

Michelangelo da Caravaggio, The Incredulity of St. Thomas, 1601
"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." John

Bernini images for Thursday Jan 26

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1623

1630

1621-22. Bernini was 23 when he finished this piece.

photo by margaret sheffield.

1622-25

2012-01-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

Week three Homework:Other Manners
January 24 &26

Tuesday, January 24

Homework: prepare forclass presentation. About 5 minutes each group. In groupsof three, students will choose a work by Dürer, Grunewald, Bosch, or Brueghel. Other options: Van der Weyden, Cranach, Van Eyck. Briefly retell the main story that the artist tells. Write a vivid description of the image itself, pointing out pertinent details that make for a powerful telling of the story the artist tells and the methods, styles, details,objects, gestures, etc the artist uses to tell that story in a shortpresentation. You should consider technique, formal qualities, stylistic qualities, and content.

When your group has chosen, email me any images you would like me to include for the presentation, including any details or comparisons, identifying your section # and group members in your email and I will put all the images for presentations in one web page to make the class go smoothly. Please send images by Sunday night, the 22nd!

In each section, only one group per painting. Artworks to consider:

Dürer, Melancholia

Dürer, Self-Portrait in Fur-Lined Coat

Dürer, Adam and Eve, engraving

Cranach, one of the versions of Salome, Judith, or Feast of Herod

Hans Baldung Grien, any version of Three ages of (Wo)man and Death

Matthias Grünewald, The Isenheim Altarpiece

Jan van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece, Arnheim Portrait, or MAdonna of Chancellor Rolin

Bosch, any painting by Bosch

Brueghel, any painting by Brueghel

Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights,

Dürer, Adam and Eve, (206)

[Grunewald, Isenheim Alterpiece]

Presentations!
Section 1
Taylor, Quinn, Forrest
T
Hieronymus Bosch, Proverbs,

Louis, Aiden, Batul
Jan van Eyck, Arnolfini Portrait, Louis, Aiden, Batul

Alexa and Ryan H

Hans Baldung Grien, Three Ages of Man and Death,

Scout, Sarah, Amy

Cranach, Feast of Herod, 1531

Evan and Neal

Brueghel, Return of the Hunters, 1565

Natalie, Renee, Hilary

Titian, Salome

Cranach, Judith

Cranach, Salome

Cranach, Salome

cranach, judith
Cranach, Salome and Judith

Section 2
Jos, Ryan, Ian

Jan van Eyck, Madonna of Chancellor Rolin,

Auggie, Kacie,

Dürer, Self Portrait in Fur-Lined Cloak

Sean Sophie, Cydny

Jan Van Eyck, Madonna in the Church

Jan Van Eyck, Annunciation Diptych

Spencer, Peter, Nathaniel

Brueghel, Fall of the Rebel Angels, 15..

David H, Morgan, Joy

Brueghel, Census at Bethlehem, 1566

jon, kes,

Kyle, Stephen, Michael,

Jan Van Eyck

Justin

James, Chase, Dan B

Cranach, Judith,

Cranach, Salome

Cranach, Judith

Section 3

Harper, Bretta, Adam

Hieronymus Bosch, Ascent of the Blessed, ~1490

Marki, Zander, David

Jan Van Eyck, Annunciation,

Chris, Sam, Jacob

Jan van Eyck, Arnolfini Portrait

Cait, Kait, Qait (West)

Cranach

Paula, Ashlee

Jan Van Eyck, Madonna of Chancellor Rollin

Thursday, January 26

Dreams in Stone:Michelangelo and Mannerism; Bernini and Baroque

Homework: View Simon Schama’s Power of Art: Bernini. dvd available in library or start with this link and follow the video through completion. This link will get you to part one. It will take about an hour. For higher resolution, please go to the library!

Key Works: sketch orotherwise represent in your notebook. record artist, title, date, periodand the significance as you come to understand it based on readings, class discussion,[no need to sketch works in brackets]

Michelangelo, Slave(291)

Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499 (124)

Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499 detail, The Virgin

Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499 detail, Christ's face

Michelangelo, David(49-456)

At times when morality considered male nudity improper, lots of leaders ordered fig leaves attached to important sculptures and painted onto paintings hung in public places. Someone joked in class last week that in some museum somewhere a pile of unhung fig leaves might lie. Then, searching for details of the David to include here, I found this leaf! The Victoria and Albert Museum (the most famous museum of Victorian art and history) has this leaf in its collection. This special leaf was attached to David's privates any time royal ladies visited the famous fellow. It has not served that lucky purpose since Queen Mary visited him in the mid-1900's. (source)

[Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1540 (468-9)]

Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1540, detail, Christ as Judge

Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1540, detail, St. Bartholomew with his own flayed skin

Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1540, detail showing Minos as one of the Judges of the underworld.

Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1540, detail, Charon Ferrying the dead

Bernini, David, 1623-24(131)

Bernini, Ecstasyof St. Theresa (471-472) 1647-52

Week 2 Homework- Jan 17 & 19 High Renaissance Ninjas

2012-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

I can't find a source for this image! or read the signature. looks like 2009, though. I cribbed it from here. Clockwise from top looks like Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael.

Tuesday, January 17^th Renaissance Man andTrickster: Leonardo da Vinci

Homework! Reading:Henry Sayre, 92-101, 104-105; 169-175. Writing: Make notes on the SayreReading, and good notes on class discussion of Leonardo. Choose one painting byLeonardo and Describe it in a vivid paragraph. Imagine describing to someonewho does not know the painting and cannot see it in front of them! I will call on several of you to make observations on sayre, and to read paragraphs on a painting by Leonardo. You need not limit yourself to describing the paintings I show here; any painting by Leonardo is fair game.

Key Questions fordiscussion: Howdo biography and psychoanalysis help you readpictures? How does Leonardo represent motherhood? Make a few notes on this question as you read.This question will guide discussion both Tuesday and Thursday.
Key Works this Week: sketch orotherwise represent in your notebook. record artist, title, date, periodand the significance as you come to understand it based on readings, classdiscussion, etc.:

Leonardo,Madonna of the Rocks, (94-96)

Leonardo,Mona Lisa, (457)
from Vasari's "Life of Leonardo:"

Leonardo undertook to execute, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Monna Lisa, his wife; and after toiling over it for four years, he left it unfinished; and the work is now in the collection of King Francis of France, at Fontainebleau. In this head, whoever wished to see how closely art could imitate nature, was able to comprehend it with ease; for in it were counterfeited all the minutenesses that with subtlety are able to be painted, seeing that the eyes had that lustre and watery sheen which are always seen in life, and around them were all those rosy and pearly tints, as well as the lashes, which cannot be represented without the greatest subtlety. The eyebrows, through his having shown the manner in which the hairs spring from the flesh, here more close and here more scanty, and curve according to the pores of the skin, could not be more natural. The nose, with its beautiful nostrils, rosy and tender, appeared to be alive. The mouth, with its opening, and with its ends united by the red of the lips to the flesh tints of the face, seemed, in truth, to be not colors but flesh. In the pit of the throat, if one gazed upon it intently, could be seen the beating of the pulse. And, indeed, it may be said that it was painted in such a manner as to make every valiant craftsman, be he who he may, tremble and lose heart. He made use, also, of this device: Monna Lisa being very beautiful, he always employed, while he was painting her portrait, persons to play or sing, and jesters, who might make her remain merry, in order to take away that melancholy which painters are often wont to give to the portraits that they paint. And in this work of Leonardo's there was a smile so pleasing, that it was a thing more divine than human to behold; and it was held to be something marvellous, since the reality was not more alive.

http://members.efn.org/~acd/vite/VasariLeo3.html

Leonardo,Vitruvian Man, (141)

for Thursday, January 19^th:dirty and clean: Michelangelo and Raphael

Homework! Reading: skim Sayre 176-187. Read excerpts fromVasari’s lives of Leonardo Raphael, and Michelangelo posted below. Writing: note similarities and differences betweenVasari’s descriptions the three, considering which might be his favorite artist. Write a paragraph detailingthese differences, and how you respond to them after seeing some of the worksby the three artists. Reflect on this question: How does biography help you orhurt you in your reading of images?

Key Question: Howdo artists manage to tell stories that take place over time in one frame?

I have taken excerpts for you from Vasari's Lives of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. You can find huge portions of this important text at the valuable site created by Adrienne DeAngelis, here.

fromVasari's "Life of Leonardo"

THE GREATEST GIFTS are often seen, in the course of nature, rained by celestial influences on human creatures; and sometimes, in supernatural fashion, beauty, grace, and talent are united beyond measure in one single person, in a manner that to whatever such an one turns his atten- tion, his every action is so divine, that, surpassing all other men, it makes itself clearly known as a thing bestowed by God (as it is), and not acquired by human art. This was seen by all mankind in Leonardo da Vinci, in whom, besides a beauty of body never sufficiently extolled, there was an infinite grace in all his actions; and so great was his genius, and such its growth, that to whatever difficulties he turned his mind, he solved them with ease. In him was great bodily strength, joined to dexterity, with a spirit and courage ever royal and magnanimous; and the fame of his name so increased, that not only in his lifetime was he held in esteem, but his reputation became even greater among posterity after his death.

Leonardo, Self Portrait, ~1512

Truly marvellous and celestial was Leonardo, the son of Ser Piero da Vinci; and in learning and in the rudiments of letters he would have made great proficience, if he had not been so variable and unstable, for he set himself to learn many things, and then, after having begun them, abandoned them. Thus, in arithmetic, during the few months that he studied it, he made so much progress, that, by continually suggesting doubts and difficulties to the master who was teaching him, he would very often bewilder him. He gave some little attention to music, and quickly resolved to learn to play the lyre, as one who had by nature a spirit most lofty and full of refinement: wherefore he sang divinely to that instrument, improvising upon it. Nevertheless, although he occupied himself with such a variety of things, he never ceased drawing and working in relief, pursuits which suited his fancy more than any other. Ser Piero, having observed this, and having considered the loftiness of his intellect, one day took some of his drawings and carried them to Andrea del Verrocchio, who was much his friend, and besought him straitly to tell him whether Leonardo, by devoting himself to drawing, would make any proficience.

Verrocchio, Baptism of Christ, 1470's, Verrocchio was Leonardo's teacher. It's likely that Leonardo painted the Angel with his back slightly turned from us. Legend says that Verrocchio, after seeing Leonardo's amazing skills as a painter, never painted again.

Andrea was astonished to see the extraordinary beginnings of Leonardo, and urged Ser Piero that he should make him study it; wherefore he arranged with Leonardo that he should enter the workshop of Andrea, which Leonardo did with the greatest willingness in the world. And he practised not one branch of art only, but all those in which drawing played a part; and having an intellect so divine and marvellous that he was also an excellent geometrician, he not only worked in sculpture, making in his youth, in clay, some heads of women that are smiling,

of which plaster casts are still taken, and likewise some heads of boys which appeared to have issued from the hand of a master; but in architecture, also, he made many drawings both of groundplans and of other designs of buildings; and he was the first, although but a youth, who suggested the plan of reducing the river Arno to a navigable canal from Pisa to Florence. He made designs of flour mills, fulling- mills, and engines, which might be driven by the force of water: and since he wished that his profession should be painting, he studied much in drawing after nature, and sometimes in making models of figures in clay, over which he would lay soft pieces of cloth dipped in clay, and then set himself patiently to draw them on a certain kind of very fine Rheims cloth, or prepared linen: and he executed them in black and white with the point of his brush, so that it was a marvel, as some of them by his hand, which I have in our book of drawings, still bear witness;

Leonardo, Drapery for a Seated Figure, 1400's

besides which, he drew on paper with such diligence and so well, that there is no one who has ever equalled him in perfection of finish; and I have one, a head drawn with the style in chiaroscuro, which is divine.

Leonardo, Anatomical Studies, 1509-10

And there was infused in that brain such grace from God, and a power of expression in such sublime accord with the intellect and memory that served it, and he knew so well how to express his conceptions by draughtsmanship, that he vanquished with his discourse, and confuted with his reasoning, every valiant wit. And he was continually making models and designs to show men how to remove mountains with ease, and how to bore them in order to pass from one level to another ; and by means of levers, windlasses, and screws,

he showed the way to raise and draw great weights, together with methods for emptying harbors, and pumps for removing water from low places, things which his brain never ceased from devising; and of these ideas and labours many drawings may be seen, scattered abroad among our craftsmen; and I myself have seen not a few. He even went so far as to waste his time in drawing knots of cords, made according to an order, that from one end all the rest might follow till the other, so as to fill a round; and one of these is to be seen in stamp, most difficult and beautiful, and in the middle of it are these words, "Leonardus Vinci Accademia."

And among these models and designs, there was one by which he often demonstrated to many ingenious citizens, who were then governing Florence, how he proposed to raise the Temple of S. Giovanni in Florence, and place steps under it, without damaging the building; and with such strong reasons did he urge this, that it appeared possible, although each man, after he had departed, would recognize for himself the impossibility of so vast an undertaking.

He was so pleasing in conversation, that he attracted to himself the hearts of men. And although he possessed, one might say, nothing, and worked little, he always kept servants and horses, in which latter he took much delight, and particularly in all other animals, which he managed with the greatest love and patience; and this he showed when often passing by the places where birds were sold, for, taking them with his own hand out of their cages, and having paid to those who sold them the price that was asked, he let them fly away into the air, restoring to them their lost liberty.

For which reason nature was pleased so to favor him, that, wherever he turned his thought, brain, and mind, he displayed such divine power in his works, that, in giving them their perfection, no one was ever his peer in readiness, vivacity, excellence, beauty, and grace.

***

It is said that Ser Piero da Vinci, being at his villa, was besought as a favor, by a peasant of his, who had made a buckler [a buckler is a round shield] with his own hands out of a fig tree that he had cut down on the farm, to have it painted for him in Florence, which he did very willingly, since the countryman was very skillful at catching birds and fishing, and Ser Piero made much use of him in these pursuits. Thereupon, having had it taken to Florence, without saying a word to Leonardo as to whose it was, he asked him to paint something upon it. Leonardo, having one day taken this buckler in his hands, and seeing it twisted, badly made, and clumsy, straightened it by the fire, and, having given it to a turner, from the rude and clumsy thing that it was, caused it to be made smooth and even. And afterwards, having given it a coat of gesso, and having prepared it in his own way, he began to think what he could paint upon it, that might be able to terrify all who should come upon it, producing the same effect as once did the head of Medusa.

For this purpose, then, Leonardo carried to a room of his own into which no one entered save himself alone, lizards great and small, crickets, serpents, butterflies, grasshoppers, bats, and other strange kinds of suchlike animals, out of the number of which, variously put together, he formed a great ugly creature, most horrible and terrifying, which emitted a poisonous breath and turned the air to flame; and he made it coming out of a dark and jagged rock, belching forth venom from its open throat, fire from its eyes, and smoke from its nostrils, in so strange a fashion that it appeared altogether a monstrous and horrible thing; and so long did he labor over making it, that the stench of the dead animals in that room was past bearing, but Leonardo did not notice it, so great was the love that he bore towards art.

Caravaggio's 1597 shield with head of Medusa. Many have suggested that Caravaggio studied Leonardo's shiel, or at least read Vasari's account, but no one has yet proven the claims.
The work being finished, although it was no longer asked for either by the countryman or by his father, Leonardo told the latter that he might send for the buckler at his convenience, since, for his part, it was finished. Ser Piero having therefore gone one morning to the room for the buckler, and having knocked at the door, Leonardo opened to him, telling him to wait a little; and, having gone back into the room, he adjusted the buckler in a good light on the easel, and put to the window, in order to make a soft light, and then he bade him come in to see it. Ser Piero, at the first glance, taken by surprise, gave a sudden start, not thinking that that was the buckler, nor merely painted the form that he saw upon it, and, falling back a step, Leonardo checked him, saying, "This work serves the end for which it was made; take it, then, and carry it away, since this is the effect that it was meant to produce."

Head of Medusa by unknown Flemish painter, perhaps inspired by Leonardo's shield or the story of it!

This thing appeared to Ser Piero nothing short of a miracle, and he praised very greatly the ingenious idea of Leonardo; and then, having privately bought from a pedlar another buckler, painted with a heart transfixed by an arrow, he presented it to the countryman, who remained obliged to him for it as long as he lived. Afterwards, Ser Piero sold the buckler of Leonardo secretly to some merchants in Florence, for a hundred ducats; and in a short time it came into the hands of the Duke of Milan, having been sold to him by the said merchants for three hundred ducats.

Raphael, Self-Portrait, 1506

from the Life of Raphael of Urbino

HOW BOUNTIFUL AND BENIGN Heaven sometimes shows itself in showering upon one single person the infinite riches of its treasures, and all those graces and rarest gifts that it is wont to distribute among many individuals, over a long space of time, could be clearly seen in the no less excellent than gracious Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, who was endowed by nature with all that modesty and goodness which are seen at times in those who, beyond all other men, have added to their natural sweetness and gentleness the beautiful adornment of courtesy and grace, by reason of which they always show themselves agreeable and pleasant to every sort of person and in all their actions. Him nature presented to the world, when, vanquished by art through the hands of Michelagnolo Buonarroti,

Raphael's portrait of Heraclitus, which many see as also a portrait of Michelangelo, from The School of Athens, 1510
she wished to be vanquished, in Raffaello, by art and character together. And in truth, since the greater part of the craftsmen who had lived up to that time had received from nature a certain element of savagery and madness, which, besides making them strange and eccentric, had brought it about that very often there was revealed in them rather the obscure darkness of vice than the brightness and splendour of those virtues that make men immortal, there was right good reason for her to cause to shine out brilliantly in Raffaello, as a contrast to the others, all the rarest qualities of the mind, accompanied by such grace, industry, beauty, modesty, and excellence of character, as would have sufficed to efface any vice, however hideous, and any blot, were it ever so great. Wherefore it may be surely said that those who are the possessors of such rare and numerous gifts as were seen in Raffaello da Urbino, are not merely men, but, if it be not a sin to say it, mortal gods; and that those who, by means of their works, leave an honourable name written in the archives of fame in this earthly world of ours, can also hope to have to enjoy in Heaven a worthy reward for their labors and merits.

Raphael, The Small Cowper Madonna, 1505

Raffaello was born at Urbino, a very famous city in Italy, at three o'clock of the night on Good Friday, in the year 1483, to a father named Giovanni de' Santi, a painter of no great excellence, and yet a man of good intelligence, well able to direct his children on that good path which he himself had not been fortunate enough to have shown to him in his boyhood. And since Giovanni knew how important it is to rear infants, not with the milk of nurses, but with that of their own mothers, no sooner was Raffaello born, to whom with happy augury he gave that name at baptism, than he insisted that this his only child--and he had no more afterwards--should be suckled by his own mother, and that in his tender years he should have his character formed in the house of his parents, rather than learn less gentle or even boorish ways and habits in the houses of peasants or common people.

When he was well grown, he began to exercise him in painting, seeing him much inclined to such an art, and possessed of a very beautiful genius: wherefore not many years passed before Raffaello, still a boy, became a great help to Giovanni in many works that he executed in the state of Urbino. In the end, this good and loving father, knowing that his son could learn little from him, made up his mind to place him with Pietro Perugino, who, as he heard tell, held the first place among painters at that time. He went, herefore, to Perugia: but not finding Pietro there, he set himself, in order to lessen the annoyance of waiting for him, to execute some works in S. Francesco.

Perugino, Deposition, 1500Perugino was Raphael's teacher.

When Pietro had returned from Rome, Giovanni, who was a gentle and well-bred person, formed a friendship with him, and, when the time appeared to have come, in the most adroit method that he knew, told him his desire. And so Pietro, who was very courteous and a lover of beautiful genius, agreed to have Raffaello: whereupon Giovanni, going off rejoicing to Urbino, took the boy, not without many tears on the part of his mother, who loved him dearly, and brought him to Perugia, where Pietro, after seeing Raffaello's method of drawing, and his beautiful manners and character, formed a judgment of him which time, from the result, proved to be very true.

Michelangelo, Self Portrait

and, from the "Life of Michelangelo:

WHILE the most noble and industrious spirits were striving, by the light of the famous Giotto and of his followers, to give to the world a proof of the ability that the benign influence of the stars and the proportionate admixture of humors had given to their intellects, and while, desirous to imitate with the excellence of their art the grandeur of Nature in order to approach as near as possible to that supreme knowledge that many call understanding, they were universally toiling, although in vain, the most benign Ruler of Heaven in His clemency turned His eyes to the earth, and, having perceived the infinite vanity of all those labors, the ardent studies without any fruit, and the presumptuous self-sufficiency of men, which is even further removed from truth than is darkness from light, and desiring to deliver us from such great errors, became minded to send down to earth a spirit with universal ability in every art and every profession, who might be able, working by himself alone, to show what manner of thing is the perfection of the art of design in executing the, lines, contours, shadows, and high lights, so as to give relief to works of painting, and what it is to work with correct judgment in sculpture, and how in architecture it is possible to render habitations secure and commodious, healthy and cheerful, well-proportioned, and rich with varied ornaments.

He was pleased, in addition, to endow him with the true moral philosophy and with the ornament of sweet poesy, to the end that the world might choose him and admire him as its highest exemplar in the life, works, saintliness of character, and every action of human creatures, and that he might be acclaimed by us as a being rather divine than human. And since He saw that in the practice of these rare exercises and arts namely, in painting, in sculpture, and in architecture the Tuscan intellects have always been exalted and raised high above all others, from their being diligent in the labors and studies of every faculty beyond no matter what other people of Italy, He chose to give him Florence, as worthy beyond all other cities, for his country, in order to bring all the talents to their highest perfection in her, as was her due, in the person of one of her citizens.

There was born a son, then, in the Casentino, in the year 1474, under a fateful and happy star, from an excellent and noble mother, to Lodovico di Leonardo Buonarroti Simoni, a descendant, so it is said, of the most noble and most ancient family of the Counts of Canossa. To that Lodovico, I say, who was in that year Podesta of the township of Chiusi and Caprese, near the Sasso della Vernia, where S. Francis received the Stigmata, in the Diocese of Arezzo, a son was born on the 6th of March, a Sunday, about the eighth hour of the night, to which son he gave the name Michelagnolo, because, inspired by some influence from above, and giving it no more thought, he wished to suggest that he was something celestial and divine beyond the use of mortals, as was afterwards seen from the figures of his horoscope, he having had Mercury and Venus in the second house of Jupiter, with happy augury, which showed that from the art of his brain and of his hand there would be seen to issue forth works marvellous and stupendous.

Michelangelo's start chart by bemyastrologer.com
Having finished his office as Podesta, Lodovico returned to Florence and settled in the village of Settignano, at a distance of three miles from the city, where he had a farm that had belonged to his forefathers; which place abounds with stone and is all full of quarries of grey-stone, which is constantly being worked by stonecutters and sculptors, who for the most part are born in the place. Michelagnolo was put out to nurse by Lodovico hi that village with the wife of a stone-cutter: wherefore the same Michelagnolo, discoursing once with Vasari, said to him jestingly, "Giorgio, if I have anything of the good in my brain, it has come from my being born in the pure air of your country of Arezzo, even as I also sucked in with my nurse's milk the chisels and hammer with which I make my figures." In time Lodovico' s family increased, and, being in poor circumstances, with slender revenues, he set about apprenticing his sons to the Guilds of Silk and Wool. Michelagnolo, who by that time was well grown, was placed to be schooled in grammar with Maestro Francesco da Urbino; but, since his genius drew him to delight in design, all the time that he could snatch he would spend in drawing in secret, being scolded for this by his father and his other elders, and at times beaten, they perchance considering that to give attention to that art, which was not known by them, was a mean thing and not worthy of their ancient house.

Key Works: sketch or otherwiserepresent in your notebook. record artist, title, date, period and the significance asyou come to understand it based on readings, class discussion [no need tosketch works in brackets.]

Michelangelo, LibyanSibyl (228-229)

Michelangelo, Libyan Sibyl (228-229)

Michelangelo, Creationof Adam (108)

Raphael, Schoolof Athens (458-9)

Raphael, School of Athens (458-9) chart from wikipedia! together with names!: 1: Zeno of Citium 2: Epicurus 3: unknown^[13] 4: Boethius or Anaximander or Empedocles? 5: Averroes 6: Pythagoras 7: Alcibiades or Alexander the Great? 8: Antisthenes or Xenophon? 9: unknown ^[14]^[13] or the Fornarina as a personification of Love ^[15] or (Francesco Maria della Rovere?) 10: Aeschines or Xenophon? 11: Parmenides? 12: Socrates 13: Heraclitus (Michelangelo) 14: Plato (Leonardo da Vinci) 15: Aristotle 16: Diogenes17: Plotinus (Donatello?) 18: Euclid or Archimedes with students (Bramante?) 19: Zoroaster 20: Ptolemy? R: Apelles (Raphael) 21: Protogenes (Il Sodoma,Perugino, or Timoteo Viti)^[16]

[Raphael, AlbaMadonna, (174-5]

Lecture notes Jan. 17th-- Leonardo

2012-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

We'll start class by reading the comparison of these two images written by Henry Sayre in A world of Art; you can look back for reference to page 454.

Unknown Artist, presumed copy of Vasari's Portrait of Leonardo

Then, we'll turn our gaze quite directly to Leonardo da Vinci, one of the brightest stars in the Renaissance constellation. First, let's confirm a working definition of Renaissance, focused on Italian Renaissance. What terms, concepts, practices, novelties define this period of Italian Art from roughly 1400-1550?

In this time, Florence was the global center of the art world, though, as in any other period, other strong centers thrived. Could you pinpoint the center of the art world today? how about in 1945. And in 1900? 1850? 1750? 1650? how about 500 ce and 500 bce? 1500 bce? 2500 bce? 6000 bce? 30,000 bce? 70,000 bce?

We all know Leonardo's name. Let's dissect further What, specifically, do you know about him already? (ps. most Italian Renaissance artists, like Leonardo, are known by their first names or a nickname, not by their last)

Leonardo, Mona Lisa, 1503-1519 also known as La Gioconda or Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo
Most famous painting in the world? presumably one of the top five. Why? Where does she get her power?

Marcel Duchamp, LHOOQ, 1919 Andy Warhol, Thirty are better than one, 1963, Salvador Dali, Self Portrait as Mona Lisa, 1954

We praise Leonardo for his ability to convey psychological depth in his paintings. Many have also found great psychological depth in the man. Sigmund Freud found enough to pen a psychobiography of Leonardo in 1910, 491 years after the Renaissance man's death.

We know relatively little about Leonardo, but Freud manages to paint an entire psychological diagnosis based on the small amount of evidence. Let me summarize how Freud reads one image based on Leonardo's biography, and ask you what you think of that guiding question for the week: how does the biography of the artist contribute (both positively and negatively) to our appreciation of an image. First, though, remember that by entering the 16th century, we have largely left behind a time where we know nothing, not even the name, of most artists.

words you should be able to define after completing the reading:
atmospheric perspective 95
foreshortening 95
linear perspective 96
chiaroscuro 97
Tenebrism 97
value/value judgment 104

Week 1 Homework, January 12: Stirrings, Shiftings, Awakenings

2012-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

"Wake up Eve, Wake up!"

Bishop Bernward, Creation of Eve, Bronze panel from the cathedral doors at Hildesheim, Germany, about 1000 ce.

A Rebirth of our Class, The Birth of Adam and Eve, Rebirth of Classical Knowledge:

the Early Renaissance

Assignments For Thursday, January 12,

Reading: ,Henry Sayre, 455-460; then, The traditional Adam and Eve story, told inGenesis, King James Version, chapters 2-4, Chapter 2 found here, Chapter 3 here, and Chapter 4 here. Then, listen to how an irreverent, playful, smart (and for some, offensive) contemporary author has treated the subject, here. from Jonathan Goldstein, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible!, 2009.

Writing: Asyou read the Genesis Version, Goldstein’s version (and any of many others youmight consider, from the sublime to the absurd), make notes in your journal, andanswer these questions: 1. What frameswould you pick to tell this story in your own way? 2. What objects would serve to assist your telling? 3. What images would you work to create (sketch them or describe your ownversion)? 4. What words or phrases stand out to you in the story?

We will look at many imagesof Adam and Eve made over several centuries

Key Works to sketch or otherwise represent in yournotebook. record artist, title, date, period and the significance asyou come to understand it based on readings, class discussion, etc.: [no needto sketch works in brackets]

Massaccio, Expulsion from Eden, 1428. before and after 1980's cleaning

[Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise, 1424-1452]

[Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise, detail with creation scene1424-1452]

Dürer, Adam and Eve woodblock, 1504 (206)

[Michelangelo, Sistine Ceiling, 1510 (see specific pagenumbers under Jan 19^th)]

for further thought:

Wiligelmo, Creation of Adam and Eve, ~1100

Bishop Bernward,Creation of Eve, Hildesheim Doors, ~1000 ce; Lorenzo Ghiberti, Creation from Gates of Paradise, 1424

Bishop Bernward, Design and possibly fabrication, Hildesheim Doors, ~1000 ce; Lorenzo Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise, 1424

Jan and Hubert van Eyck, the Ghent Altarpiece, 1426

Jan van Eyck, Adam and Eve (separate panels!), from the Ghent Altarpiece, 1426

Jan van Eyck, Adam, from the Ghent Altarpiece, 1426

giovanni di Paolo, Creation and Expulsion, 1453 further reading here.

giovanni di Paolo, Expulsion, 1453 further reading here.

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1507

Hans Baldung Grien, Adam and Eve, 15??

Hans Baldung Grien, Adam and Eve, 1524

Hans Baldung Grien, Adam and Eve, 1531

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Adam and Eve, 1526

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Adam and Eve, 1528

Jacopo Pontormo, Adam and Eve, 1535

William Blake, Satan Watching the Caresses of Adam and Eve, 1808

Mantegna, Dead Christ, tempera on canvas, 1490, (86)more info at smarthistory

Jan 12 Lecture images: More Visions of Eden

2012-01-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Massaccio, Expulsion, 1425

Marc Chagall, Expulsion, 1961

Emile Nolde, Banished from Eden, 1919

Creation, by Bishop Bernward
Bishop Bernward, God Acuses Adam and Eve, about 1000

Domenichino, Adam and Eve Defend themselves against God's Accusation, 1625

Bishop Bernward, Adam and Eve Reproached by the Lord, and Expusion, about 1100

Hieronymus Bosch, Adam and Eve, from The Garden of Earthly Delights, about 1504

choleric cat, sanguine rabbit, melancholic elk, phlegmatic ox. the mouse? in trouble
from Henry Sayre: ...not even Dürer could quite synthesize the northern love for precise and accurate naturalism-- the desire to render the world of real things-- with the southern idealist desire to transcend the world of real things." (460)

Hendrick Goltzius, Fall of Man, 1616

Bouguereau, Adam and Eve Mourn the Death of Abel (1865ish)

Spencer Stanhope, Temptation of Eve, late 1800's

Will Vinton, Adventures of Mark Twain, 1986

ASPECTS OF EVE

Linda Pastan

To have been one
of many ribs
and to be chosen.
To grow into something
quite different
knocking finally
as a bone knocks
on the closed gates of the garden—
which unexpectedly
open.

Syllabus Web Text-- January 2012-- arh 1102- 01, 02, 03

2012-01-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Art History 1102

Section 1: TTH 8:30-9:50, section 2: TTH10-11:20,section 3: 11:30-12:50

Instructor: Dr. Betsy Towns, 216 Gray Building

cell 919-428-1717 betsy.towns@gmail.com

feel free to contact me with any questions

Officehours: 12:30-2 on Mondays or by appointment. I like getting visits.

The History of Art, Part 2:600 years that Lead to today

This course takescore samples into the history of art from the early Renaissance (earlyModernism?) to today (Post-Modernism?). The course aims to show you severalways of looking deeply at and developing interesting insights into a work ofart, and, to quote David Foster Wallace, “to develop informed and intelligentreasons for liking or disliking a piece of [art] and to write—clearly,persuasively and above all interestingly—about stuff you’ve [seen].” We willwork to contextualize today’s visual culture and our notions of art-making andcivilization in relation to some of history’s favorite monuments of painting,sculpture, architecture, and newer forms

Objectives–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Students will:

· Build a visualvocabulary that will enrich the substance of their work in the arts. Given thatno one makes art out of nothing, this course seeks to open up worlds of ideasfor students to transform in their own practices.

· Consider thecontributing factors (social, cultural, religious, historical, technological,political, economic) relevant to significant periods in art, and begin to findthe clues to these factors in the visual evidence, informed by readings anddemonstrated by participation in class discussions and in writtenassignments.

· Practiceanalyzing the characteristics of an art period, and to think critically aboutrelationships between works and periods as demonstrated in discussion and writtenassignments. Learn to draw connections between visual cultures of the past andpresent, looking at the ways art of the past has informed artists workingtoday, discovering ways that art history can deepen their art practices.

· Explore their ownemotional, visual, and critical responses to works of art and worked tounderstand their own map of visual culture, its images, theories, andnarratives; develop sensitivity totheir own influences, biases, and opinions.

· Practice avariety of ways of looking at, thinking about, talking about and writing aboutart: creative, critical, theoretical, philosophical, historical, individual.Learn to describe objects critically and creatively in order to make them yourown.

Materials –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Texts:Henry Sayre, AWorld of Art, 6th edition. Pearson. Available at the bookstore or online.You will need the book for the entire year.

Roland Barthes, CameraLucida. Available online or in the bookstore.

Outside readings will frequently supplement the Worldof Art, and I will post them or a link to them on the class blackboard sitefor you to download. You will have to print some of the more difficult or densereadings. Please bring the text ofoutside readings to class on the day for which they are assigned, and bring thetext on days we have readings assigned from there.

Log: students need a notebook,sketchbook, or journal dedicated to this course, and bring it to class eachday. I expect you to keep your daily assignments in the notebook, so that I canenjoy reading your responses to class materials at three points during theterm.

Blog: at www.artisanhistory.com I post elaborations on the assignments listed in thesyllabus and, most weeks, supplementary materials to the textbook. You shouldcheck the syllabus and visit the blog before each class meeting.

Your Instructor: Perhaps because I blendart practice and art study in my own work, I tend to see connections betweenideas, disciplines, objects rather than viewing ideas and objectsindependently. I value curiosity above most other traits, because I find thatcuriosity leads to thought, information, analysis interpretation, andultimately, sometimes, wisdom. Ravenous for ideas, images and information, Ifind the history of art infinitely satisfying, as each time I return to study,I find new ways of seeing that help me in my own quest for expression andconnection through art.

The Dreamer:

I live inside the mind of an optimist.This means that I believe you come to school to learn, full of curiosity aboutart and the worlds that inform it. I believe you aim at all times to thinkcreatively and critically, that desire for ideas, images, information fillseach of you, and that you enter this classroom because you want to know aboutwhat makes people insane enough to want to be Artists, and what those nuttyartists before you achieved. I believe you want to

The Police Officer:

I can, however idealistic my nature, putmyself inside the mind of the realist. I recognize that our university and yourindividual lives pull you in many directions at every hour of the day. Irecognize that artists of the past may have yet to capture you and startle youwith their relevance and excite you with their plenty. For some or all of thesereasons, art history class may not top your list of priorities. This means thatI must specify my demands so that you can still succeed if your nativecuriosity, perfectionism, and time management don’t push you inevitably intoexcellence in this course.

TimeCommitment –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In academic classes students should expect to spend 2 to 3 hours workingoutside of class for every hour in class. So – for a course that meets threehours a week like this one, students should expect to spend 6-9 hours workingoutside of class.

Participation

This is not a lecture course. This course seeks to introduce you to practices of examining, analyzing, andinterpreting images and articulating your responses to them in speech and inwriting. Hence we must practice. Your questions, insights, ideas and energywill drive the course and what you learn. Each student should contribute todiscussion each week. The clinically shy or those who perform only after carefulreflection can contribute by emailing me questions, observations, and insightsbased on homework and discussion prior to and after class, or post them to theclass blog. If, on occasion, the class demonstrates a universal lack ofpreparation, I will lecture, and I will demand that you take notes, and I willquiz you on this lecture. Studies show that this last method does not result inthe same acquisition of knowledge that discussion and active participation do,but it will at least insure that something happens. Please do your work so thatwe do not often end up in a lecture situation.

Student Responsibilities–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

You are responsible for what you learn.

· ….Know that learn is a verb…. And come to class ready to think, askquestions, build bridges, makeknowledge

· Learningtakes hold through play, experimentation and reflection. Find time and space toplay with the materials, to take risks, and take time to mull over the ideas inyour own ways.

· Findplaces where your own passion, wisdom, and knowledge overlaps with the subjectsof the course, and bring those resources to share generously each time we meet.

You are responsible for being an activeand positive contributor to the community. This means:

· . . .talk about whatyou're learning. Successful students get to know something well enough thatthey can put it into words and ... did I mention: “ ask questions. Questions provide the quickest route from ignorance to knowledge.Without making comments each week, you cannot earn top grades.

•…Listenactively, and practice the art of conversation. Sharing ideas comprises themost fundamental activity of any course. The success of the course depends onmany creative minds working together to forward knowledge. Listening involvesworking to understand what others say, and truly productive conversationsinclude several active minds interacting carefully with each other to take atopic to clear depths. By talking and listening,we open ourselves to the course and to others, making ourselves vulnerable—toeach other and to learning.

You are responsible for understandingwhat happens in class. If you don’t understand something, ask a question. If you want clarification, ask a question. If you hear a word you don’t know, ask a question. If you would like moreinfo on an idea, ask a question.Asking questions provides the fastest way to get information. If you have aquestion, ask it. If you don’t, makeone up.

You are responsible for all the materialin this syllabus. If you lose your syllabus, you can find it online. I adviseyou to print it out if you lose it. Come to classPrepared—complete all reading, writing, and viewing assignments, and allactivities listed in the syllabus or in class handouts

You are responsible for taking notes onlectures, discussions and comments made in class and, very importantly, on video, audio, and written materials fromoutside of class. Most of you have to take this class to earn your degree.Since you must be here, you might as well make the most of it. Make the hoursyou spend here rich, rewarding hours by immersing yourself in ideas and findingareas of deep interest to you. Above all, BeCurious.

Major Assignments:

Group Presentation: Each group will present on an artist, focused on a particular work,from the 15^th -17^th centuries. Post your presentationmaterials on a website. Due January 24th

Notebook:notebooks, journals, sketchbooks should include: responses to all specificassignments made on the blog for each week. Sketches or other representationsof key works, together with notes on the artist, title, date, period and whyhistory and you find the works significant, plus your own observations. Noteson reading assignments and class notes. Original observations, assessments,analyses, connections. Due 3 times inthe semester, unannounced

Class Participation: contribution to each week’s discussion that shows youhave given time, interest, and thought to homework and classwork. Show onquizzes that you have kept up with homework!

Midterm: in-classidentification of key works and comparison and contrast writing. Tuesday, Feb 9th

Photography response: Response to Roland Barthes’ book Camera Lucida and a photograph from your own collection (fullassignment on blog.) march 29^th

Final Exam:Choose an artist active between 1500-2100 and whose work appears in a majormuseum. Complete written assignment on their work (posted on the blog), post iton a website of your own, and create an original artwork in response to theirwork, and post it on the blog, as well. We will share these during the time ofthe exam. May 2 and 3; see bottom ofclass calendar for your time

Grades will be based on the following breakdown:

20%notebook

20%class participation, presentation, and quizzes

20%traditional midterm (id’s and in class comparison)

20%Roland Barthes/photography response writing piece

20%final project and id’s

Ifyou accomplish all that is required on time, clearly, correctly, thoroughly andin a satisfactory manner, you can expect a B. To earn an A, your must go above and beyond the minimums set for the project,and executed work in an interesting, original, perfectly crafted manner.Incomplete work or work that exhibits minimal effort or limited breadth inthought and/or effort will earn a Cor lower; include errors and the work will earn a D. Failure to demonstrate understanding of the material, to followguidelines of the assignment, and/or to show depth of effort will result in aFailing grade. I use a ten point scale.

Assignments Schedule/ ClassCalendar––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

NOTE: Preparethe readings for the date on which they are listed, please focus yourreading around the key works. ***Download and bring handouts to class. ***

I post more detailed instructions for each week’sassignments online. Visit the blog each week at artisanhistory.blogspot.com

Note: in the case of adverse weather or otherunexpected class cancellation, visit the blog and I will give a substituteassignment, most likely a video. The artworks we’re discussing are so famous,that many interesting filmmakers have treated the work!

Week One: new Beginnings, Births andRebirths January 10 and 12

Tuesday January10^th Introduction to term, practical and police matters. Reviewinghistory; beginning Modernism

Thursday January12^th: Adam and Eve

Reading: ,Henry Sayre, 455-460; then, The traditional Adam and Eve story, told inGenesis, King James Version, chapters 2-4, found here http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/KjvGene.html.

One ContemporaryInterpretation: from Jonathan Goldstein, Ladiesand Gentlemen, the Bible! Listen to Goldstein reading here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iFhFO0nGPQ

We will look at many imagesof Adam and Eve made over several centuries

Massaccio, Expulsion from Eden, 1428

[Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise, 1424-1452]

Dürer, Adam and Eve woodblock, 1504 (206)

[Michelangelo, Sistine Ceiling, 1510 (see specific pagenumbers under Jan 19^th)]

Week Two: Art Ninjas: Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo Jan 17&19

Tuesday, January 17^th Renaissance Man andTrickster: Leonardo da Vinci

Key Questions fordiscussion: Howdo biography and psychoanalysis help you readpictures? How does Leonardo represent motherhood?
Key Works this Week: sketch orotherwise represent in your notebook. record artist, title, date, periodand the significance as you come to understand it based on readings, classdiscussion, etc.:

Leonardo,Madonna of the Rocks, (94-96)

Leonardo,Mona Lisa, (457)

Leonardo,Vitruvian Man, (141)

Thursday, January 19^th:dirty and clean: Michelangelo and Raphael

Homework! Reading: skim Sayre 176-187. Read excerpts fromVasari’s lives of Leonardo Raphael, and Michelangelo posted on www.artisanhistory.blogspot.com. Writing: note similarities and differences betweenVasari’s descriptions of his three favorite artists. Write a paragraph detailingthese differences, and how you respond to them after seeing some of the worksby the three artists. Reflect on this question: How does biography help you orhurt you in your reading of images?

Key Question: Howdo artists manage to tell stories that take place over time in one frame?
Key Works: sketch or otherwiserepresent in your notebook. record artist, title, date, period and the significance asyou come to understand it based on readings, class discussion [no need tosketch works in brackets.]

Michelangelo, LibyanSibyl (228-229)

Michelangelo, Creationof Adam (108)

Raphael, Schoolof Athens (458-9)

[Raphael, AlbaMadonna, (174-5]

Week three:Other Manners January 24 &26

Tuesday, January 24

Homework: prepare forclass presentation. About minutes each group. Northern Renaissance: in groupsof three, students will choose a work by Dürer, Grunewald, Bosch, or Brueghel.Assignment details to follow but plan to write a vivid description of thehistory of the story the artist tells and the methods, styles, details,objects, gestures, etc the artist uses to tell that story in a shortpresentation.

Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights,

Dürer, Adam and Eve, (206)

[Grunewald, Isenheim Alterpiece]

Thursday, January 26

Dreams in Stone:Michelangelo and Mannerism; Bernini and Baroque

Homework: View Simon Schama’s Power of Art: Bernini. dvd available in library or follow links Iprovide on the blog.

Michelangelo, Slave(291)

Michelangelo, Pieta (124)

Michelangelo, David(49-456)

[Michelangelo, Last Judgment, (468-9)]

Bernini, David(131)

Bernini, Ecstasyof St. Theresa (471-472)

Week Four: Baroque Around Europe

Tuesday, January31: Caravaggio and Artemesia

Homework! Viewing: Simon Schama’s Power of Art: Caravaggio. Dvd available in library or follow linksI provide on the blog. Reading: Henry Sayre pp. 469-476

Key Questions: What new questions provoke Baroque artists? How wouldyou describe the Baroque style?

Caravaggio,Calling of St. Matthew, (473-474)

Caravaggio, The Young Bacchus, (not in book)

[ArtemesiaJudith and Holofernes]

[CaravaggioJudith and Holofernes]

Thursday, February 2: Making The Modern Artist: VelazQuezMaids of Honor

Homework: Read Sayre 150-156and complete all the materials on Artisan History including reading the articleby Foucault.

Key Question: Can you make a case for why Las Meninas gets the title ‘first modern painting?’ What does yourself-portrait look like?

Key works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion

Velasquez, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), p. 155

Velasquez, Portrait of Mariana, p. 154

Rembrandt, SelfPortrait in the studio,

Vermeer, Allegory of Painting, (169)

Week Five: Exam, and other shifts of power February9&11

Tuesday feb 9th: Midterm!

identifications and in class writing: compare and contrast two images, and key works test.For in-class writing you need to be able to recognize the key works, andrecognize the stylistic traits of Renaissance, Baroque, Mannerism, and NorthernRenaissance

Thursday, February 11^thSwinging Rococo, Sober Neoclassicism,

France and England Steal the Center Swinging Rococoand Sedate Neoclassicism

Homework: Read Donald Posner on Swinging and other materials on theblog, week 8. Make notes in response to all questions there! Sayre 477-484.Make good notes on the readings in your notebook. these are fairly simple,straightforward readings.

Key Question: How and When did art become a laughing matter?

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist, title, date, period and the significance asyou come to understand it based on readings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

[Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Bathers, 479,]

Jean-HonoréFragonard, The Happy Accident of theSwing, not in book

[Marie-Louise-ElisabethVigée-Lebrun, Duchess of Polignac, 1783, p. 480]

Jacques-LouisDavid, The Death of Marat, 1793

Jean-Auguste-DominiqueIngres, Grande Odalisque, 1814 (483)

[EugéneDelacroix, Odalisque, 1845, (483)]

[William Hogarth,Rake’s Progress]

Week Six Romance, and Romantic and NeoclassicalLandscapes February 14 & 16

Tuesday, Feb 14^th <3 Valentine’sDay. Baroque Rape Stories and Rough Romanticism

Homework:read Henry Sayre 475-488 very carefully, making clear notes in your notebookand sketching the key works.

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

[Rubens, Rape of Daughters of Leucippus~ 1624]

Rubens, Rape of Sabine Women,

Giambologna, Rapeof Sabine Women, (290)

Goya, The Third of May, (notin book),

Goya, Saturn Devouring one of his Children (484),

Géricault, Raft of the Medusa, (485)

David, Oath of the Horatii, (not in book),

[Picasso, Massacre in Korea, 1951, (not in book),]

[ Manet, Execution of Maximilian, (not in book),]

Thursday, February 16^thLandscapes

Homework: sketch key works carefully then come to class ready toenjoy, learn, and draw.

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

[Poussin, Landscape, (478)]

[LorraineA Pastoral Landscape, (476)]

Ruisdale, View of Haarlem, (476)

Friedrich,Monk by the Sea (486)

[FredericEdwin Church, Heart of the Andes, (487)]

JMWTurner, Rain, Steam and Speed (96)

Week Seven: Keepin it Real, Becoming Modern

Tuesday,February 21 Baudelaire

Reading:Charles Baudelaire, “The Painter of Modern Life,” The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays(New York: Da Capo,1986). Print the article or copy it into a document of your own so you canunderline, make notes, and otherwise help yourself own the material. Preparethree comments on specific passages in the article to share in class. Bring thearticle to class so that you can share them when I call on you. **Find a public place to sit down andmake a sketch of modern life around you as you see it in the rapid, livelyspirit of Constantine Guys.

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Images from Constantine Guy,on artisanhistory blog with the article.

Manet, Olympia, (491)

Gustav Courbet, Burial at Ornans, (489)

[Honoré Daumier, (489), ]

[Rosa Bonheur, Plowing in the Nivernais, (490)]

Key Words: Modernism, Modern, Romanticism, Realism

Thursday, Feb 23 Manet, Barmaids,Models, and the everyday

Reading: ReadMary Elizabeth Williams’ article on Manet’s Olympia available from Salon.com at http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/masterpiece/2002/05/13/olympia/Viewing: John Berger Ways of Seeing, BBC1972, episodes 1 and 2. You can find this online everywhere, usually in eightparts, and it will take you just under an hour to watch.

Writing:Respond in your own way to the question posed at the bottom of the first pageof Williams’ article. (the question that also serves as a link to her answer).Take plenty of time to look at Manet’s painting (Olympia) prior to answering. Answer the questions on Berger’sseries posted on artisan history

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Manet, Déjeuner sur l’herbe, (43),

Manet, Olympia (491),

[Titian, Venus of Urbino, (459)]

[Ingres, Grande Odalisque, (483)]

[Delacroix, Odalisque, (483)]

[Giorgione, sleeping Venus, (459)]

Yasumasa Morimura, Portrait, Twins, (521

Postmodern Connections: Yasumasa Morimura, Rene Stout,Cindy Sherman representation and identity

Week Eight, Impressionism and Orientalism in Franceand Painting in Japan and China

Tuesday, Feb. 28

Impressionism and the flood of Isms

Reading: from Griselda Pollock“Modernity and the spaces of femininity,” from Vision and Difference, London: Routledge, 1988). Read the excerptsfrom Pollock posted by AllenFarber at http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/ARTH/ARTH200/pollock_modernity.html Prepare two thoughtfulcomments on specific passages in the reading. BRING THE READING and yourcomment on it to class!

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Monet,Impression: Sunrise, (492),

[Morisot,Reading, (493)]

Degas,After the Bath, Woman drying her hair, (180),

[Degas,The Glass of Absinthe (491)]

[Vincentvan Gogh, Japonaiserie: The Courtesan (After Kesai Eisen, 1888, (200)]

Cassatt,The Bath, (201)

KitagawaUtamaro, Shaving a boy’s head, 201

Thursday, March 1

Homework: Read Sayre 461-467, 238-240, complete all materials onthe blog.

Writea paragraph describing an ink painting from china or japan from the 12^thto 19^th century (you don’t have to choose a key work, but include animage if possible. How can you mold your writing to reflect the poetics of theartwork you describe?

Key Question: Why are china, japan, most of europe, all of america, all of africa quite separate atthis point in history? What points of contact did exist? And when and why dothey start to web world wide?

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

XuWei, Grapes, Ming, ~1590 (238)

ShenZhou, Poet on a Mountaintop, c. 1500,(461)

Maskof an Iyoba, (queen mother), Benin, Nigeria, 1550, (467)

Spring Break!

Week Nine Light Writing, Light rooms, Heavy CamerasMarch 13^th and 15th

BIGREADING WEEK! Photography, con’t Roland Barthes

HomeworkReading: Barthes, Camera Lucida, part 1, p 1-60

Viewing:watch my video commentary on Barthes, writing down a question or comment inresponse to each segment

Writing: Writea 100 word response to one paragraph in Barthes. Type it up, and turn it in together with your response to Barthesdue on Thursday March 29^th.

Thursday, March 15^th Photography, Continued

Reading:Barthes, Camera Lucida, part 2,63-119. Write 100 words describing your photograph in preparation for paper.Type it up, and turn it in together with yourresponse to Barthes due on Thursday March 29^th.

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Nadar, The Photographer’s Wife, (inBarthes)

[Julia Margaret Cameron, ThomasCarlyle, (259)]

[Timothy H. O’Sullivan, A Harvest of Death, (260)]

Muybridge, Annie G, (254)

[William Henry Fox Talbot, The Open Door, (258)]

Annie Liebovitz, Karen Finley, (269),

Edgar Degas, After the Bath, Woman Drying her Herself, (269)

Postmodern Connections: Jeff Wall,

Week Ten Van Gogh’s Ear and Gauguin’s Arsenic: Mad forart.

Reading: Van Gogh andGauguin excerpted from Chipp, Theories ofModern Art (LA: UCLA, 1968) 29-47 and 61-77, posted on blackboard. BRINGTHE READING TO CLASS.

Viewing:watch the materials on Van Gogh and Gauguin posted on artisanhistory

Key Works sketch orotherwise represent in your notebook. recordartist, title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand itbased on readings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

[Paul Gauguin, The Day of the Gods, (496)]

Vincentvan Gogh, The night café, 1888, (120),

[Vincentvan Gogh, The Starry Night, 1888, (61)]

Vincentvan Gogh, The Sower, 1888, (62),

Gauguin,Where do we come from, (n.i.b.)

Writing: Write a perfect 50 word description of one work by Gauguin or van Gogh inyour notebook.

Thursday, March 22^ndSurrealism

Homework: read Breton’s First Manifesto ofSurrealism at the link on the blog. View the videos posted on the blog, andstudy the key works!

Key Works: sketch orotherwise represent in your notebook. recordartist, title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand itbased on readings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets

Dali,The Persistence of Memory, (505)

[Ernst,Forest and Dove, (126-127)]

Kahlo,Los Dos Fridas, (520)

Rivera,Man, Controller of the Universe, (507)

[Miro,Painting 506)]

Duchamp,Fountain, 504)

[Duchamp,Mona Lisa (L.H.O.O.Q) (504)]

Week ELEven AfriCan Art,Picasso, and ‘Primitivism’ (Remember Understanding as Murder?) Tuesday, March 27^th

Reading:Henry Sayre 449-450, 467, 517-523, and additional reading on artisan history

Writing:work on your Barthes Paper!

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

BettyeSaar, Liberation of Aunt Jemima, (517)

AlisonSaar, Inheritance, (517)

Maskof an Iyoba, (467)

Headof a King (449)

Thursday, March 29^th

Papers due! Cometo class ready to listen and learn about Picasso and other uses of African Art

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Matisse,Harmony in Red, (88, 138),

Nolde,Prophet, (195),

Picasso,Guernica, (508)

Picasso,Demoiselles d’Avignon, (10-13, 498)

WeekELEven The End of Painting? The End of Art? Abstract Expressionism and Pop

Tuesday, April 3^rd

Readings:Harold Rosenberg, “American Action Painting”, available online, Sayre, pp510-513

Viewing: Simon Schama, Power of ARt: Rothko, dvd in library andI will provide the links, and Hans Namuth on Jackson Pollock, follow the linkonline (I may show this last one in class instead!)

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

De Kooning, Woman and Bicycle, (510),

Rothko, Four Darks in Red (511)

Pollock, AutumnRhythm, (134 and finished work on blog)

Thursday, April 5th

Pop Art

Reading:from the Autobiography of Andy Warhol,and additional readings on artisanhistory blog.

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist, title,date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, (219).

Rauschenberg, Odalisk, (512),

Lichtenstein, Wham (513),

[Warhol, Race Riot (18)]

WeekTwelve: Postmodernism and the End of History?

April 10^th Introducingpostmodernism

Read: excerpts from FredricJameson, “Postmodernism and the Cultural Logic of Late Capital

Key Works sketch or otherwise representin your notebook. record artist,title, date, period and the significance as you come to understand it based onreadings, class discussion [no need to sketch works in brackets]

CindySherman, Untitled # 96, (520)

YasumasaMorimura, Portrait (twins) (521)

BarbaraKruger, Untitled (We wont play nature toyour culture) (521)

April 12^th SeccaTrip writing assignment to be announced

WeekThirteen And Fourteen: Art in the 21^st Century April 17, 19, 24, 26

Homework: for the rest ofterm: Read and view all materials on the blog. Work on your final project dueat end of term. In class, come ready to look carefully, discuss and evaluatethe art of major players of our own time.

Section 1 Meeting TR8:30-9:50 AM Tuesday May 1,9:00-11:00 am

Section 2 Meeting TR10:00-11:20 AM Tuesday, May 1, 1:00-3:00

Section3 Meeting TTH 11:30-12:50 Thursday,May 2 9:00-11:00

Police-y Policy –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Attendance: Students are expected to attend eachclass session ready to discuss the readings and artworks. Great discussions arebuilt on respectful learning and thoughtful preparation. Study, thought, andwriting about key works or passages from readings will pay off in terms ofinteresting class sessions and positive evaluations. Students are permitted twounexcused absences after which each absence will result in a five pointdeduction from the final grade.

Plagiarism: I expect students to adhere to the UNCSA policyregarding plagiarism. We will discuss the appropriate use of your own andborrowed materials in regard to writing assignments. You are expected to createyour own work throughout the semester, on papers, quizzes, and exams. Iencourage you to study with you peers, to discuss papers, share ideas, anddiscuss reading prior to class. The essential work for each assignment must beyour own, with sources for borrowed materials clearly cited. Any attempt to turn in another person's work as yourown - whether it is from a book, journal, textbook, fellow classmate, web site,or other media source - will result in an automatic F for the course. A letterexplaining the nature of the plagiarism will be placed in your academic fileand a copy will be sent to your arts Dean.

SensitiveMaterial: we willdiscuss artwork of a variety of subjects that have been recorded by humans overtime, many of them of intense emotional register for us and for their creators.This means that we will look at and discuss some works of art that may effectyour sensibilities, works that deal with religion, sexuality, gender, death,violence, race, power, evolution and other sensitive subjects. Please be readyto listen sensitively to different opinions and express your own views.

Accommodation for Students withDisabilities: In compliance with the UNCSA policy and equal access laws, I amavailable to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be requiredfor students with disabilities. Note that accommodations will not be grantedwithout appropriate written documentation. Upon entrance to the course,students are encouraged to register with the Officer for Student Disabilitiesto verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.

Examination Policy: There are two in-class exams this term, including thefinal exam, which will include materials from class discussions and readings.Please note the date of the exams carefully, and should you have a professionalconflict, make arrangements with me at least two weeks prior to the exam. As for the final exam, if it is necessary to take the exam early due to early departure you must discuss this with me one month before the intendeddeparture and complete the Request for Early Departure Form at Academic House.

The Writing Center at UNCSA

Elizabeth Klaimon, Director,Writing Center, Sunnyside, 631-1514 klaimone@uncsa.edu,

· Free one-on–one tutoring sessions: between15 – 45 minutes long.

· Assistance in all stages of the writingprocess

· Our goal is to work with students to helpthem become better writers

Ifadverse weather poses a significant safety concern for the campus community,UNCSA officials may decide to close campus, to delay the start of classesand/or the opening of offices, or to cancel productions or events.

Inthe case of overnight weather situations, such decisions normally will be madebefore 6 a.m. and will be posted on the UNCSA home page (www.uncsa.edu),on the recorded greeting at the main phone line(336-770-3399)and sent to CUKES (Campus Updates on Key Emergencies System) subscribers.

Youmay also find notices of school closings, cancellations or delays at thefollowing local media outlets:

Television:WXII (channel 12/cable 11); WFMY (channel 2/cable 9); WGHP (channel 8/cable10); WXLV (channel 45/cable 7); and NEWS14 (cable 14).

FMRadio: WFDD (88.5); WMQX (93.1); WGBT (94.5); WQMG (97.1); WOZN (98.7); WMAG(99.5); WVBZ (100.3); WZTK (101.1); WJMH (102.1); WTQR (104.1); WFMX (105.7);WKZL (1

AMRadio: WSJS (600); WPCM (920); WMFR (1230).

Pleasebe aware that notifications are submitted to all of the media outlets mentionedabove, but there is no guarantee that they will be posted, or how frequentlythe postings will be updated. You are encouraged to check frequently forupdates.

Students,faculty and staff are encouraged to subscribe to CUKES by visiting https://services.uncsa.edu

Facultyand staff can find the campus policy on adverse weather at http://policy.uncsa.edu/2011/05/23/adverse-weather-policy-101/

Some Student Successes

2011-11-22T04:14:00.000-08:00

Not the super exciting kind, perhaps, that I will post after the final presentations, but some good solid work worth looking at as you prepare for the final.

First, Great Key Work Id's from current students on the midterm:

Bull Mural, 1600 bce, Minoan, from Aegean Region of Greece. Athletics were important to Greek people. This gives us an age on what appears the first sport depicted in art-- a unisex sport-- and it's weight in society. It was sacred enough that they made a mural depicting it.

Bull Mural, 1500, Minoan

This Mural represented the art of Bull Jumping, the first athletic sport represented in art. It depicts everyday life for the Minoans. It gives a good example of their decorative colorful style typical to their culture.

Bull Mural, 1500bce, Minoan

• first art dealing with sports. Suggests sports were always important to the greeks.

• both men and women could participate in sports, suggesting equality of genders.

•art focused on everyday life rather than nobility, suggesting...

Bust of Nefertiti, 1500 bce, old kingdom egypt,

This was the most 'realistic' piece of Egyptian art uncovered to date: There was high importance placed on the facial features and in comparison to other Egyptian artifacts, it is the least stylized. Why it was made in this way is still unknown; it possibly could have been a personal choice by the artist or personal request by the artist herself, but simply because it is so different it helps us see the Egyptian insistence on stylization.

Writing Art History-- The Final Exam Assignment and Key Works

2011-11-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

The BACKGROUND: Take home portion of final exam, introductionLast week in class we looked at a couple examples of Ekphrasis-- graphic, often dramatic writing that describes visual art. Those examples concerned Brueghel's painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, from the 1560's. You can look over those poems, and others, here and here (Scroll down to see Williams' poem "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.")

">Below I give you another example of ekphrasis, this time in prose rather than poetry. First study the painting.

The small painting, hung in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, shows at first glance a storm tossed boat under firey skies at sunset. 19th century writer and art critic John Ruskin reveals what else you see when you look very closely at this Romantic Painting. He writes:

It is a sunset on the Atlantic after prolonged storm; but the storm is partially lulled, and the torn and streaming rain clouds are moving in scarlet lines to lose themselves in the hollow of the night. The whole surface of the sea included in the picture is divided into two ridges of enormous swell, not high, nor local, but a low, broad heaving of the whole ocean, like the lifting of its bosom by deep-drawn breath after the torture of the storm. Between these two ridges, the fire of the sunset falls along the trough of the sea, dyeing it with an awful but glorious light, the intense and lurid splendour which burns like gold and bathes like blood. Along this fiery path and valley, the tossing waves by which the swell of the sea is restlessly divided, lift themselves in dark, indefinite, fantastic forms, each casting a faint and ghastly shadow behind it along the illumined foam. They do not rise everywhere, but three or four together in wild groups, fitfully and furiously, as the under strength of the swell compels or permits them; leaving between them treacherous spaces of level and whirling water, now lighted with green and lamp-like fire, now flashing back the gold of the declining sun, now fearfully dyed from above with the indistinguishable images of the burning clouds, which fall upon them in flakes of crimson and scarlet, and give to the reckless waves the added motion of their own fiery flying. Purple and blue, the lurid shadows of the hollow breakers are cast upon the mist of the night, which gathers cold and low, advancing like the shadow of death upon the guilty* ship as it labors amidst the lightning of the sea, its thin masts written upon the sky in lines of blood, girded with condemnation in that fearful hue which signs the sky with horror, and mixes its flaming flood with the sunlight, – and cast far along the desolate heave of the sepulchral waves, incarnadines the multitudinous sea.
[Ruskin’s note]*She is a slaver, throwing her slaves overboard. The near sea is encoumbered with corpses.

You can read more about W.M.J. Turner's Slave Ship, and more about ekphrasis, in this intelligent, short article by Marjorie Munsterberg.

Today in class, I shared other examples of writing, this time not about art history, but careful, polished, insightful writing that uses visuals to further the written message. We looked back at the google map essay, "Mr. Plimpton's Revenge," the RSAnimate/ Sir Ken Robinson piece, "The Story of Bottled Water," and Scott McCloud, from TED. There you have the links, if you'd like to watch more of these pieces. (I highly recommend any of the RSA pieces, if you want to waste some time well.)

I ask you to continue looking for descriptions that you find evocative, revealing, poetic and intelligent, and to seek ideas that you want to express badly enough to make you want to express them well!

The GRADING RUBRIC
perfectly excellent papers will receive:
25 points careful analysis of your question, including completion and documentation of any necessary research, evidence of careful thought, and thorough analysis.
25 points for exquisite writing in a style suited to the ideas and tone you wish to convey. Precise choice of words, vivid ekphrasis that allows me to see the artwork as you do through you words, and careful polish to insure clear expression of content.
20 points for finding creative and effective solutions to conveying your exploration of the central question at every turn

The ASSIGNMENT, take home final exam, 70% of final exam grade
For this Project, you have a very free reign. The stipulations:
1. Find a question or set of questions about an object or group of objects from visual culture prior to 1300 ce that you wish to investigate.

2. Research that question by: closely observing, analyzing, and describing the object and/or doing some research in the library and/or online, by thinking deeply about the question, by discussing it with people you respect .

3. Begin to write about the object(s) and the question(s). Make sure that you closely observe, analyze, and describe the object with attention to form, content, and subject matter, and attending to writing discussions we have had in class

4. Develop your writing simultaneously with developing the mode of presentation that you have chosen for the Final (ie animation, song and video, speech with slideshow, essay, etc.)

5. Save time and energy to polish and perfect your writing and its habitat-- its presentation

Further Parameters, Should you want them
I will look for projects that go beyond surface understanding to dig for deeper understanding of art history, its objects, and their contexts

Projects should seek to match form and content to generate in this marriage more than the sum of the parts.

The student(s) curiosity about and engagement with ideas should be evident in the work, providing an engine to drive the student(s) to excellence and should provide a magnet to draw others in and make them want to learn

Reading, listening to, watching, or otherwise experiencing your writing should help me see the object anew with new understanding.

Some Ideas (of course, you can come up with your own idea! and ignore this part!)

1. Curate and hang an exhibit that displays a period of art on campus, including arranging images, writing catalogue entries, and introducing the exhibit with a paragraph or two clearly posted to express the point of the exhibit. At Reynolda House, think about how the curators made choices about what images to hang in which room, what themes they worked with, think about the texts they used. How will you help others leave with new understanding of the questions that provoked you?
2. write a 4-5 page paper that demonstrates your investigation into your question. Demonstrate your careful thought about the object and its context, your reading on the subject, and your care for writing with precision and power in a tone that suits the content. I'll start a list of possible topics at the bottom and continue it as they come to me, but you can certainly write your own topic!
3. Create a google map of all the bits and pieces of the parthenon scattered around the world. Give links to the images of them, narrate the stories told in the fragments, see what the museums that hold them say about how they acquired them. Dont forget the page dubois essay on "The Aesthetics of the Fragment," and of course the story of Lord Elgin.
4. Google map project on : possible transfer of stylistic traits,
or materials
or paleolithic female figurines (see don's maps website on this)
or of standing male figures
5. Write a speech about depictions of lions or femininity or masculinity... or any other theme you've found... and animate that speech like RSAnimation did, or create slides to support it like Scott McCloud did or storyboard the way you would go about narrating this story.
6. Worth a thousand words: Choose an object that narrates a specific story in still images-- either one image or several. WRITE the story you READ in the image, noting all that you can tell about it from what you see (don't forget to analyze formal qualities like line shape form color direction repetition gesture....) and then read everything you can about this story and then write the story as you have learned it. How well did you do reading the story as the artist told it in images. Some good artworks to choose from for this project: Palette of Narmer, Warka Vase, Bull Lyre, Achilles and Ajax at rest by Exekias, the Column of Trajan, the Stele of Naramsin....
7. Create a facebook circle for a group of people from a particular time. How can you employ the sensibilities of facebook to reveal rich detail about the artwork, the culture, the way of life. Facebook tends to be superficial. How can you work inside this style but still demonstrate great knowledge and wisdom?
Some Questions you could consider (but of course, I've invited you to write your own.
comparison and contrast of images of violence, images of power, images of adolescence, images of royalty, or motherhood or horses...
Trace a theme through time or geography. Why does this theme recur? How does it change in the hands of different artists, styles, cultures? How does it retain the same meaning? Does this theme exist today? What method of writing/presentation best serves the theme you chose?

The Keyworks, for ID section of the exam, 30% of final exam grade.
For each work, identify artist, title, date, period and, most importantly, explain why this object is significant to art or cultural history.

In-class portion, ID's:
For identifications, list artist (if known), title, date, period and significance. Significance must go beyond describing what you see and must show the reasons that this object matters historically, culturally, art historically. 2 points for identification, 3 points for signification, 30 points total.
I give you resources on many of the objects below. Be sure to check what Henry Sayre says in our textbook, and what I say in the videos and class notes!
Please note! I do not want to read 80 repetitions of the material below exactly restated. For full credit on the signification, you need to write the significance as you understanding, very likely building on or using parts of what's below! always ask yourself 'what does this fact tell us?' 'what, specifically, about this object makes it an important object worthy of study?'

Woman of Willendorf, ~22,000 bce, limestone, Paleolithic, found in Austria. More photos and good resource here.
Significance:
•raises questions about the view of gender in creating art (needs further explanation)
•possibly represents paleolithic goddess worship. (needs further explanation)
raises questions about what exactly comprises art/artifact/useful object (needs further explanation)

Woman of Hohle Fels, ~35,000-40,000 bce, mammoth ivory, Paleolithic, found in Germany. class materials on this figure here.
•oldest known piece of prehistoric representational 'art'
•~6 cm tall, or 2.6" suggesting that the people were nomadic and needed small objects to go with them
•perhaps an amulet or piece of jewelry of some kind because of the loop that allows a piece or leather etc through it
•some see this as a symbol for fertility or a fertility goddess, suggesting... (explain further)

Lascaux Cave, France, Paleolithic, 15,000 bce
•hall of bulls is like sistine chapel of paleolithic caves, raising questions about earlier civilizations' religious beliefs and ritual practices (needs further explanation)
• because we've known it so well over last few decades, it stands as our picture of paleolithic cave painting.
the central emblem of cave painting.
•highly influential on modern artists (needs further explanation)
•showed understanding of perspective generally believed to have been developed by much later humans
•some theorize that the paintings are a form of star chart
•
Chauvet Cave, France, Paleolithic, 30,000 bce (textbook p. 408)
• highly naturalistic representations-- seems that the painters drew them as close as possible to what they saw
•first representational painting found on earth so far.
•paintings were made continuously for thousands of years with individuals painting over images from the past, suggesting.... that art is ongoing and communal.... that it is not permanent... that process is more important than product

Banksy, Sweeping it under the Carpet, 2006 contemporary street art
• painting has brought traditional academic compositional techniques into street art....
(needs further explanation)
•made in multiple public locations suggesting that banksy wanted to reach wide audience (originality? finish? practice?
•borderless canvas like in cave paintings suggesting...
(needs further explanation)
•gives face and importance to an everyday person
•you can see it as everyday activity or a large message about a practice... that we sweep uncomforable problems under the carpet.

Tell Asmar Statuettes (411), 2700bce, present day Bagdad, Mesopotamia, Good additional resource here:
•like so much early art, seems to have been made for a purpose beyond human life.... ie made for the gods
•tallest statuette, about 30" seems to represent or stand to worship the god Abu, god of vegetation
•raises question: if we hadn't had religion, would we have the art from the ancient times that we have today
•seem to be made on a hieratic scale which depicts more important people at larger scale.
•brings good understanding of the level of detail that craftspeople could achieve-- eyes inlaid with lapis lazuli, highly detailed, indicating art expertise.

Ziggurat (349) 2100 bce, mesopotamia, Funny site
•possibly imitating the shape of the foothills that lead into the mountains, possibly created as a mountain for the gods to reside in.
•foothill scale may have allowed it to appear more interactive and accessible to the people
only the priests were allowed onto the upper levels
•flatter and wider than egyptian counterparts
•included extensive irrigation system and was elaborately planted on top (explain significance)
•irrigation also acted as cooling system (explain significance)

Palette of Narmer (414), 3000 bce, Egypt, made of slate wikipedia has very solid info on this piece.
link here.
•based on makeup palette for grinding pigment,but never used, rather placed in a temple... society valued decorative objects
•the narmer palette is one of the first objects that tells a significant story in history... king narmer destroying his enemies; making this the first historical document, many believe
•layed out on a horizontal line grid, divided into scenes; this linear style is recognizably egyptian
• violent war story with decapitated people, but based on a makeup palette which is all about beauty... may suggest that war was part of everyday experience... even the gods, in pharoah form, wage war.
•The piece shows some of the ways Egyptians use animals both symbolically and in daily life

Menkaure Pyramid (348), 2470 bce, Giza,
•one of the three Great Pyramids of Giza, the smallest of the three, intended to be the tomb of the pharoah menkaure... perhaps it is smallest because Menkaure was a kinder, more benevolent ruler, as legend suggests, and did not drive his people quite as hard in his honor
• Pyramids were encased in limestone, and in this case, granite but that has been removed, signifying...
•Menkaure's pyramid is 1/10 the size of his grandfather Khufu's temple, perhaps because an emphasis on fine materials and detailed construction had taken precedence over great size, or perhaps because money or space had run low in giza

Significance: what do the pyramids tell us about egyptian life and culture?
Menkaure and Queen (292) 2548-2530 bce, 4'8" egypt
•shows rigid structure of society and hierarchy through...
•queen is more natural, human; king more formal, godlike, signifying...(needs further explanation)
•she presents him to the people as pharoah, and yet her supporting role approaches equality more than other statues of royal couples in Egypt, perhaps supporting the legends that suggest Menkaure was a more benevolent, gentler ruler.

Parthenon (356, 420, 159) , about 440 bce, Athens, classical greek, great resource on the parthenon here

explain some of the problems paige dubois brings up about the fragmentary nature of history using the parthenon.
what are some of the challenges faced by those who study greek art? how does parthenon exhibit these?
describe the architectural refinements the greeks used in building this temple. What do they tell us about the greeks.
describe some features of this building that we frequently see in government buildings in the us.

Venus de Milo, about 100 bce, classical greek with suggestions of the hellenistic style of the 'future'. good descriptive resource here.
describe what elements of classical and hellenistic styles this exhibits.
describe what paige dubois says about the aesthetics of the fragment in relation to this piece.
what does this piece show us about the differences between greek depiction of male and female figures. why does this difference exist?

Colosseum (355)
She Wolf/ Capitoline Wolf (423), etruscan (?) 500 bce(?) babies (1500's)
tells story of romulus and remus which shows that rome was nurturing but also incredibly protective/defensive (what is this story?)
makes it look like if you were being taken over by rome you'd want to be taken over by rome because you'd be protected (tie this to something you know about roman government/empire/rule)
cast bronze -- significant because it's caused so much speculation about when this piece was made (explain the different theories of when it was made and by whom.)
babies added centuries later and there is doubt about whether the wolf could have been cast in 500 bce given etruscan technology at that time.

First Baptist Church Winston-Salem 501 West Fifth Street Winston-Salem

Images from the tomb of Emperor Qin, Terra Cotta Soldiers from the tomb of Qin, first emperor of China, about 210 bce.
•soldiers are made of terra cotta: which allowed the artists to produce the 8-12,ooo of these figures using molds, but also to individualize them. IT is believed that the individualization made them appear more realistic, giving them the potential to magically come to life and defend the emperor after his death.... also heightening the artistic impact of the piece.
• like so many of the works from this term, they would originally have been painted, indicating....
• separated into marching sections, with soldiers and leaders distinguished by hieratic scale. If anyone had ever seen them, they would have appeared ready to fight.
• the achievement of this enormous tomb suggests the overpowering style of this first emperor of china. (explain some of the other features that we don't see in this image, showing your familiarity with the tomb and the reading.

Hagia Sophia (Byzantine) (434-435) More great images here. good informative resource here.
•many of the works inside the church were destroyed by iconoclasts because they took the commandment about graven images literally (explain this fully)
•usually described as the quintessential byzantine architecture (because it's plain on outside and shimmering inside, also because of the central dome, also because of the huge scale.... what else?...)
•introduced the pendentive which supported the dome on arches... allowing the dome to appear to be supported on light rather than stone.

San Vitale, Ravenna (Byzantine), about 540 ce., Byzantine, Italy (432-433) Good resources here and here.
•exterior very plain, interior glitters with mosaic and marble decorations which reflects biblical views of how the soul should glitter on the inside and the body should be plain. Can you think of other examples from architecture that we have studied where architectural elements or style suggests a message or ties closely to the function of the building?
the structure outside is octagonal, the interior is circular (signifying??
modeled on churches of constantinople. (signifying?
controversy over whether the glittering beauty of the church or the teaching of the church become more important with these decorative buildings, which lead to the work of iconoclasts (which was what?)
has romanesque features with dome, arches, but is mainly byzantine given the quantity of mosaics with their bold black outlines, dominant strong features
only major church from the period of justinian the first in large part due to iconoclasts reacting to the controversy above.
San Vitale Cathedral
540 ce
Byzantine Art
Represents exactly what the ideal Christian should be like; plain and simple on the outside and decorative and elaborate on the inside. It's inside is almost completely covered in all sorts of mosaics, including the mosaic of Emperor Justinian.

St. Matthew from Lindisfarne Gospels (441). , about 700 ce, Insular Illuminated Manuscript, More about manuscript illumination here.
• shows the flatness and skewed perspective typical to insular manuscripts (ask yourself why this is... can you explain the medieval insistence on flatness? )
• when contrasted with the carolingian matthew, you see the extremely flat medieval style which rejected the details of the physical body. Stylized in its flatness, lack of concern with human body, but just uses recognizable outline of a human body. telling the story of matthew receiving inspiration becomes far more important. What does this tell us about medieval culture?

Giselbertus, Last Judgment, (443). about 1130 ce, Romanesque sculpture. See Lord Kenneth Clark's description of Giselbertus' sculpture here. Minutes 6-8
• located on the tympanum is considered by many to hold the most important carvings on a cathedral.
• subject of last judgment is most typical decoration of the tympanum, because in many ways it tells the reason that people would enter the church in order to insure that you will be in christs good graces on the day of the last judgment.
christ comes back on day of reckoning to separate the sinners from the saved. damned on christ's left, demons pulling them down to hell;
Typical romanesque carving: highly detailed, like Roman or greek carvings over temple entrances it depicts a story in carved relief, also takes place in an arch so typical of roman architecture. Yet you can still see some of the detailed intricacy typical to the Byzantine. Shows how Romanesque architects blended elements of roman with byzantine.
•
Skellig Michael 7th-12th c.Gaelic ascetic monastery, Irish Christian. Good info in my videos under 'Visual Prayers'
• rocky island in the atlantic, offshore of ireland , a center for monastic life for the irish 588-1150
•shows the practice of repetition and detail in the way that they built the huts, tied to the tedious dedication which marks life in certain monasteries.
•monks who practice extreme self denial are called ascetics- the extremely spartan conditions of the monastery demonstrate this aspect of medieval monastic life
• the huts were perched on nearly vertical walls, this is one of the best known but least visited monasteries because of the extreme difficulty involved in getting there.

Also called "Great Skelling", it was founded sometime in the 7th century and remained a center of monastic life for 600 years. The six 'beehive' huts that served as shelter for the monks were constructed entirely out of dry stone stacks, and perch at the top of a 600 step climb. The huts appear round on the outside but are rectangular in their interiors, and some include small shelves and sleeping platforms. They were not designed for comfort, as the monks sought to live very simply and humbly.

Reims Cathedral (445) many great images here. 13th c. ce, masterpiece of gothic cathedral architecture.
Reims stands as the ideal example of the Gothic style, formerly known as the 'French Style." Describe elements of the architecture that exemplify the gothic.
•The church is called 'notre dame,' or our lady, and the decorations in the central portal are dedicated to the virgin mary, including the rose window framed in an arch decorated with statuary which represented the life of the virgin, suggesting...
• the kings of france were crowned here for centuries, suggesting...

Duccio Perspective Analysis of Annunciation of the Death of the Virgin, (80)from the Maestà Altarpiece, 1310 see perspective analysis in the book and perform your own evaluation of the use of perspective! Byzantine/proto or pre-Renaissance (people debate the period into which Duccio best fits.... clearly his work shows elements of both Byzantine and early renaissance sensibility.)
•commissioned by the city of siena in 1308, the piece sits within an alterpiece that shows scenes of the virgin and life of christ called the Maesta
•one of the first paintings that struggled to transcend the byzantine flatness and incorporate a realistic perspective. Before linear perspective was fully understood. Thus, you see depth and effort toward perspective in the painting, but it's not entirely successful, you see a kind of mash up of perspectives.

Duccio makes a revolutionary attempt to give his figures volume and perspective by placing them in an architectural space that shows some depth of space, however, much of the perspective is askew. The horizon line is unclear and the lines in the painting seem to all draw the eye towards a very empty part of the image, which seems like a mistake but could very well serve a less obvious purpose.

Giotto, Lamentation, Scrovegni Chapel, (225) good info here. 1305, Scrovegni chapel, early Renaissance, Italy. fresco
Look back at the stories from Vasari that I shared in the video and on the entry called "Myths of Perfect Circles." What do the stories Vasari told about Giotto tell us about how the renaissance artists? In class, I explained how this relates to the way the Renaissance gave us the first Artists with a capital A, whose names history has recorded, and to the way that the technique of fresco demands a particularly skilled drawing hand. Can you explain one of these relationships?
Giotto seems to have used live models to draw his figures and their expressions. How does this differ from medieval art? what does this tell us about the renaissance and its 'principles'?

Mantegna, Dead Christ, (86) (also called Lamentation over the Dead Christ), Renaissance, Italy, 1480. tempera on panel.
• compared to other dead christ or lamentation painitings, this one seems much more up close and personal. you become like one of the mourners, unlike others which separate viewer from image; the viewer becomes like one of the mourners in the room
•uses the newly discovered tool of foreshortening, yet alters it subtly, by making the feet smaller than they would be,
•Mantegna emphasizes the physical quality of the tragedy by placing emphasis and realistic depiction on the wounds themselves, even their shape and the fleshiness of them.

Dead Christ

1480 ce

Andrea Mantegna

Renaissance Art

Famous for its mastery of perspective. Everything about the painting shows a strong knowledge and application of foreshortening... until one looks at Jesus's feet. They are much smaller than they would usually be perceived at this angle. However, Mantegna knew that the feet would cover most of the body and made the artistic decision to decrease their size.

Massaccio, Tribute Money, (453) 1427, Brancacci Chapel, Renaissance, fresco. Good info here.
Ask yourself: what qualities of the painting demonstrate qualities of the Renaissance?
•First painting to use linear one point perspective and atmospheric perspective accurately.
•The painting tells the story from the gospel of matthew. Jesus directs peter to find the necessary tax money in the mouth of the fish.the story takes place in three scenes, first in the middle, then the left then the right.
•chiaroscuro used to give bodies more significant 3-d shape...
the crowd gives actual space for the people to have bodies and interact, suggesting...

Bill Viola, The Greeting, (281), 1995. info here.

ask yourself: how does this work respond to some of the same questions that Renaissance artists raised? how does it respond to renaissance art? (think about our discussions of Giotto and humanism)
• work focuses on central human experiences like birth death and human consciousness.
• depicts the scene where mary greets her sister elizabeth as shown in the Pontormo Painting by the same name
• viola auditioned actors, cast roles, hired costume designer.... used very sophisticated film equipment to capture every detail of the scene.
Viola reflects on and amplifies our understanding of Renaissance humanism because of his use of actual human figures and involving them in the actual work.
•

Materials 12: Myths of Perfect Circles

2011-11-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

The Early Renaissance and its Historian

Week THirteen: Observations and Geometries

Bill Viola, the Raft, video still, 2004

Homework Reading: Henry Sayre, World of Art, Line pp. 55-61, 64-67, 70-74

As you read, answer the following questions about line. I'll call on folks in class for the answers.

How would you define and recognize outline, contour line, and implied line?

how can and artist use line to make a painting more active? more static?

How can line use convey emotion, underscore content, or suggest ideas?

How can you read line in painting?

The reading last week revealed some possible reasons that the Renaissance made room for innovation when so many prior periods had remained stylistically static for hundreds or even thousands of years. This week, we place the focus on one specific 'Renaissance'-- the reborn classical practice of making art based on live models rather than based on existing artworks.

Albrecht Dürer, Draftsman Drawing a Reclining Nude, ca 1527 woodcut

We'll look at some works by artists who did just that. These artists also share an interest in perspective, and seem to consider the achievement of deceptive effects of realism one of the major goals of the artist. After their death, they also share a historian, Giorgio Vasari, who also believed deceiving the eye was one of the key markers of excellence in painting.

Giorgio Vasari, Self-Portrait, ~1566

History remembers Vasari most as the father of Art History, but he was also a 'Renaissance Man', a successful painter, architect, and urban planner.

The rather mediocre sixteenth century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, fortunately, proved a remarkable writer and gatherer of tales true and legendary. His Lives of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, proves interesting to read, a vital source for the study of Renaissance Art History, and, really, is the first Art History book, for it combines life stories of the artists, description of their training and methods, and ekphrasis, or eloquent description of their important works. Watch the video introduction to Vasari, making notes on the elements you find important; we'll read a more of Vasari's writings in the weeks after break so the introduction should help you relate more fully to the readings.

Giorgio Vasari's painting of The Mutilation of Saturn by Uranus, 6th century

Vasari and the Renaissance from betsy towns on Vimeo.

In class, you should feel comfortable answering the following questions:

Who was Giorgio Vasari?

What elements did he include in his Lives of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors, and Architects—the elements that comprise the bulk of art history today?

What is a Renaissance man? What is Renaissance humanism?

How does Vasari suggest that Duccio and Cimabue built the bridge that Giotto Galloped across into the Renaissance, leading the way for the great triumvirate of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael?

In his biography of Giotto, Vasari tells how the great Gothic painter Cimabue spotted Giotto drawing the sheep he cared for in his simple life as boy-shepherd, and Giotto could not resist the lure of drawing, and scribbled portraits of sheep on rocks:

" Now in the year 1276, in the country of Florence, about fourteen miles from the city, in the village of Vespignano, there was born to a simple peasant named Bondone a son, to whom he gave the name of Giotto, and whom he brought up according to his station. And when he had reached the age of ten years, showing in all his ways though still childish an extraordinary vivacity and quickness of mind, which made him beloved not only by his father but by all who knew him, Bondone gave him the care of some sheep. And he leading them for pasture, now to one spot and now to another, was constantly driven by his natural inclination to draw on the stones or the ground some object in nature, or something that came into his mind. One day Cimabue, going on business from Florence to Vespignano, found Giotto, while his sheep were feeding, drawing a sheep from nature upon a smooth and solid rock with a pointed stone, having never learnt from any one but nature. Cimabue, marvelling at him, stopped and asked him if he would go and be with him. And the boy answered that if his father were content he would gladly go. Then Cimabue asked Bondone for him, and he gave him up to him, and was content that he should take him to Florence. There in a little time, by the aid of nature and the teaching of Cimabue, the boy not only equalled his master, but freed himself from the rude manner of the Greeks, and brought back to life the true art of painting, introducing the drawing from nature of living persons, which had not been practised for two hundred years; or at least if some had tried it, they had not succeeded very happily. Giotto painted among others, as may be seen to this day in the chapel of the Podestà's Palace at Florence, Dante Alighieri, his contemporary and great friend, and no less famous a poet than Giotto was a painter."

Giotto's painting of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ, from the Scrovegni Chapel (also called Arena Chapel), 1305

After training with Cimabue, Giotto went out on his own and always retained his boyish playfulness, according to the story of the perfect circle.

" was called to Assisi by Fra Giovanni di Muro, at that time general of the order of S. Francis, and painted in fresco in the upper church thirtytwo stories from the life and deeds of S. Francis, which brought him great fame. It is no wonder therefore that Pope Benedict sent one of his courtiers into Tuscany to see what sort of a man he was and what his works were like, for the Pope was planning to have some paintings made in S Peter's. This courtier, on his way to see Giotto and to find out what other masters of painting and mosaic there were in Florence, spoke with many masters in Sienna, and then, having received some drawings from them, he came to Florence. And one morning going into the workshop of Giotto, who was at his labours, he showed him the mind of the Pope, and at last asked him to give him a little drawing to send to his Holiness. Giotto, who was a man of courteous manners, immediately took a sheet of paper, and with a pen dipped in red, fixing his arm firmly against his side to make a compass of it, with a turn of his hand he made a circle so perfect that it was a marvel to see it Having done it, he turned smiling to the courtier and said, "Here is the drawing." But he, thinking he was being laughed at, asked, "Am I to have no other drawing than this?" "This is enough and too much," replied Giotto, "send it with the others and see if it will be understood." The messenger, seeing that he could get nothing else, departed ill pleased, not doubting that he had been made a fool of. However, sending the other drawings to the Pope with the names of those who had made them, he sent also Giotto's, relating how he had made the circle without moving his arm and without compasses, which when the Pope and many of his courtiers understood, they saw that Giotto must surpass greatly all the other painters of his time. This thing being told, there arose from it a proverb which is still used about men of coarse clay, "You are rounder than the O of Giotto," which proverb is not only good because of the accasion from which it sprang, but also still more for its significance, which consists in its ambiguity, tondo, "round," meaning in Tuscany not only a perfect circle, but also slowness and heaviness of mind.

So the Pope made him come to Rome, and he painted for him in S. Peter's, and there never left his hands work better finished; wherefore the Pope, esteeming himself well served, gave him six hundred ducats of gold, besides having shown him so many favours that it was spoken of through all Italy."

Vasari tells several other funny tales on Giotto, some of which may possibly be true. The one I like best:

" It is said that when Giotto was only a boy with Cimabue, he once painted a fly on the nose of a face that Cimabue had drawn, so naturally that the master returning to his work tried more than once to drive it away with his hand, thinking it was real. And I might tell you of many other jests played by Giotto, but of this enough."

quoted from this site, at Fordham, where the full text can be found.

Now, Read this article about perfect circles.

Look at and read about many images from Giotto's Arena Chapel (Scrovegni Chapel) at this site.

Watch the following video, about Giotto and others, making notes about the key works as you go. Here are the key works! Images below!

Giotto, Lamentation, Scrovegni Chapel, (225)

Mantegna, Dead Christ, (86)

Massaccio, Tribute Money, (453)

Bill Viola, The Greeting, (281)

How we got Giotto, some Guesses. from betsy towns on Vimeo.

List several distinctions between Medieval and Renaissance art.

What features in the Lamentation serve to distinguish further between the interests of medieval and Renaissance Artists? If you’d like more insights on this, you can check out the Smarthistory podcast on the painting.

Make notes about each of the Key Works this Week including artist, title, date, period and significance.

Giotto, Lamentation, Scrovegni Chapel, (225)

Giotto, Last Judgment, Scrovegni Chapel, 1306 more info at web gallery

Mantegna, Dead Christ, tempera on canvas, 1490, (86)more info at smarthistory

Massaccio, Tribute Money, (453) 1426

Bill Viola, The Greeting, (281), 2004

Artisan of History

Week Six Materials-- Feb 14 & 16

Key Works and Info for Midterm Exam

Week Four: Making The Modern Artist: Maids of Honor

'Lecture' Slides Jan 31: Navigating the World of Style

Bernini images for Thursday Jan 26

Dreams in Stone:Michelangelo and Mannerism; Bernini and Baroque

Week 2 Homework- Jan 17 & 19 High Renaissance Ninjas

Lecture notes Jan. 17th-- Leonardo

Week 1 Homework, January 12: Stirrings, Shiftings, Awakenings

Jan 12 Lecture images: More Visions of Eden

ASPECTS OF EVE

Syllabus Web Text-- January 2012-- arh 1102- 01, 02, 03

Officehours: 12:30-2 on Mondays or by appointment. I like getting visits.

· . . .talk about whatyou're learning. Successful students get to know something well enough thatthey can put it into words and ... did I mention: “ ask questions. Questions provide the quickest route from ignorance to knowledge.Without making comments each week, you cannot earn top grades.

Assignments Schedule/ ClassCalendar––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Tuesday, January 24

Thursday, January 26

Dreams in Stone:Michelangelo and Mannerism; Bernini and Baroque

Week Four: Baroque Around Europe

Tuesday, January31: Caravaggio and Artemesia

BettyeSaar, Liberation of Aunt Jemima, (517)

Thursday, March 29th

Papers due! Cometo class ready to listen and learn about Picasso and other uses of African Art

Matisse,Harmony in Red, (88, 138),

Nolde,Prophet, (195),

WeekELEven The End of Painting? The End of Art? Abstract Expressionism and Pop

Police-y Policy –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Some Student Successes

Writing Art History-- The Final Exam Assignment and Key Works

Materials 12: Myths of Perfect Circles

Thursday, March 29^th