Notes on PAINTING

This is a way of communicating through a visual image, as is drawing.  The latter includes pastel, charcoal, water-colour, and pencils, and can be calligraphic, a quick or detailed sketch, or a drawing in the sand with a stick.

Cave paintings – Lascaux

Painting can be merely an example of visualising theories and techniques, as Seurat did with the theories of Optical Colour Mixing, or can be very personal and emotional.  It can also be a form of recording history – from the earliest efforts of the cavemen, who painted pictures on the walls of their caves of the animals of the region, for either ritualistic, magical or religious reasons, to paintings of the horrors of the Vietnam War.

Ancient Mayan Fresco

Paintings were created to depict the events and the social conditions of the Mesapotamians, the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Incan and Mayan people – often as wall murals or carved edifices.   Then paintings became portable with the creation of icons during the Dark ages, for religious purposes of course.  In the Middle Ages paintings were still portable, e.g. psalters, as well as being painted on walls as frescos.  They were also on wooden or canvas panels – or on paper as prints became available – which could be hung in the homes, instead of only in palaces or buildings of importance.

Paintings reflected the tribe mentality in Ancient times with the kings communicating and being interchangeable with the Gods.  In the Dark Ages the nature worship developed into Christian ideas, with saints and martyrs, and people living close to death all their lives.  This permeated their art which was oppressive.

Raphael – School of Athens

The Renaissance recalled the idealism of the Greeks and Romans, and saw the development of scientific discoveries and mathematical formulas which were used in art as linear perspective.  They were also able to create a sense of real depth through the use of atmospheric perspective – their paintings created as a ‘window on the world’, depicting implied textures and volume, and humanism to the figures.  The 15th and 16th centuries were of ‘man the thinking man’ – humanism.  the 17th century shows the age of plenty, materialism, with still life paintings.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows – Constable

The 18th Century showed idealism and romanticism, with the use of rococo style of over-embellishment, portraying only important people and places.  The 19th century was the industrial revolution and depicted the squalor of this time, with human life held cheap.  Social Realist paintings showed this.

                         
         Picasso – Brick Factory as Tortosa; & Seated Woman (Simultaneity)

The 20th century saw the development of Cubism and Surrealism – breaking the ‘window on the world’, and expressing a different reality – that of art as technological changes affected it.  The ambiguity of our life is reflected through our art, and the way we use such diversity of media to portray it.  Picasso pushed Cubism further to create Simultaneity – showing all sides of the image at the same time.  The Surrealists based their work on psychi – art has become very literary, and verbal.

         
                    Mondrian;                                                       Pollock

The 21st century has seen continual development, and stretching of already flexible boundaries within and between each Postmodern and Contemporary artistic genre, portraying the Astronomical reality, scientific advancements, and the turmoil between global cultures that exemplify our current world.  There are no limits on the multi-use of Media in the creation of our art.

   
Ian McKellan;      Alan Cummings  – by Christian Hook

PAINTING MEDIUMS:

PIGMENT is the colouring agent, originally in powdered form from nature – stone chalk, earth, plants, bark – late 19th century psynthetic pigments were chemically produced in tubes, giving practical and portable usage.  Impressionists were able to take them into the fields (au Plein Air) to paint.

BINDER in the tubes of paint is already combined – for oils it is linseed oil; for acrylics it is acrylic polymer; for tempura it is egg yolk; for encaustic it is beeswax; and for fresco work it is lime in the plaster.  A Mural is ON the wall; a Fresco is PART OF the wall.

Dispensing Agent:  thins and waters the medium to make it malleable.  For acrylic and tempura it is water, and for oil it is turps, or citrus fluid.

Sizing:   is used to make the surface non-porous – often a glue-form, e.g. Bondcrete.  GESSO is glue mixed with chalk and plaster.  AQUAHERE dries clear and can be built up to create an Impasto affect.  There are now many products available if your canvases are not pre-Sized.

PAINTING DEFINITIONS:

WASH is a thin transparent coating of pigment – using water or turps depending on whether acrylic, watercolour or oil.

GLAZE is the same, but has the oil thinned with linseed oil, or the acrylic mixed with medium.

IMPASTO is thickly applied paint, often applied with a palette knife – acrylics are mixed with an impasto medium, while oils are used neat.

MATT is a dull finish to the painting, naturally occurring in tempura, and if too much turps is used in oils.

GOUACHE is an opaque water colour paint, also poster paint.

CARTOON is a fullsize detailed drawing of the finished work, using volume, which is transferred to the canvas – it was used to solve any value problems.

UNDERPAINTING was done in sepia monochrome, putting in all the details and values – it was then painted over with pure pigments.  It went out with the Impressionists who were able to paint in the field.

LINEAR refers to a painting that is composed of defined lines, either painted on as contours or where edges clearly abut, and composed of defined shapes.

PAINTERLY is work with paint alone, no drawing, with colour suggesting volume and details, the use of texture of the paint, blending and giving no clear definitions as edges weren’t important.

FORMAL painting follows the rules and techniques, producing correct images rather than giving content.  theoretical.

EXPRESSIVE painting is straight from the heart, drawing a response from the viewer, showing emotion, and full of content.

Jud House   4/09/2016

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Notes on SCULPTURE

Sculpture is considered fine art as well as craft.  Good sculpture shows texture and invites you to touch it.  Its form includes line, shape, texture, colour plus material, technique and function.  Subject and material (content) defines its context.
Flowing:  use of open grain.
Mystery:  use of hard dark stone.
Compare the different content and context of the two sculptures called THE KISS – by Rodin, and by Brancusi.

       
THE KISS by Rodin.

         
THE KISS Series – by Brancusi

Sculpture materials have different personalities, e.g. different grains in timbers, veins in marble, textures in stones.  The artist is selective, choosing horizontal grain for relaxed mood.  Also the treatment of the material by the artist affects the content of the completed work.  Sculpture may be decorative, functional, or architectural.  Greek temples were sculptural – all views were beautiful, while Roman buildings were in relief – only seen from the front.

Hand-held Goddesses (fertility) were the first sculptures in many countries, until they were replaced by the menhirs (phallic) when it became obvious that women were made pregnant by men.  Steles (columns) were used to depict religious events and people (both mythical and actual).

  
FOUR RIVERS FOUNTAIN – Berlini;  Bronze statues – Michaelangelo

The Greeks gave us Godlike, flawless statues of men, while the Romans’ statues were realistic – warts and all.  Michaelangelo used forms spiritually, usually figures and often with animals as supports. Bernini’s fountains were also works of art.  They were cast in metal, carved in wood or stone, and modelled in clay.

Modern sculpture uses the same techniques, but goes much further – we nail, glue, sew, screw, and saw, either figuratively or in abstract form.  We also use motorization, and water.  Sculpture is in relief (high and low), and free-standing (open or closed).

     
  Piatt – wire & bronze; Mid-Century II – Alicia Dunn; Wishful Thinking – Wood

 RELIEF: is carved out from its surround – the relationship of the figure carved and the ground dictates whether it is high or low relief.  It is 2D art – the figure is viewed only from the front – not the sides and back, but includes depth because material is removed in its creation.
The Third Dimension of Depth is included:
Intaglio:  line incised into stone.
Bas Relief:  low relief, e.g. a coin, in which the design barely protrudes from its background.
High Relief:  this casts a shadow – the sculpture protrudes to a great degree, and may be undercut.

     
Bas Relief;                                 Intaglio;                                  High Relief

FREE-STANDING:  Sculpture in the round, which can be seen from all sides.  It is the sum of all its viewing angles.  It need not stand, e.g. a tiki hanging around a neck is a free-standing sculpture.  It can be as small as an amulet, or as large as a mountain; open or closed in form.  If the viewer feels it’s complete, then it may be considered closed.  If it’s compact, then it’s closed.  If the interest is all contained within the work, then it’s closed.  If the sculpture interacts with the space around it, e.g. arms and legs akimbo, ready to throw, then it’s considered open – Hellenic Greeks showed weight shift in their creations poses.  Mobiles, lines leading out, and interest beyond the work would be open.  But a void in a sculpture is no necessarily open – the void might be part of the mass, which would make it closed.  Symmetry is usually closed – asymmetry is usually open.

       
Ivory – John-Richard;  Samsara – Gill Brown;  Recumbent Figure – Henry Moore

Additional:  includes modelling, adding lumps of clay together, putting things togther by any means, e.g. Picasso’s Bull made from a bike seat and handle bars.
Subtractional:  by carving away superfluous material to expose the sculpture withing, in wood, stone, marble, or wax.
Substitutional:  the perishable material of original sculpture is replaced by more durable material, e.g. balloon by paper in papier mache, and casting of bronze.  To cast Bronze, a wax model is packed in clay or plaster, remove-by-melting the wax, pour in molten bronze till set.

A Votive Statue (also candles) replace s the person in a place of prayer – it has the person’s name on it.

Jud House  2/09/2016

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Notes on CRAFTS

Plastic Art is a work of art that is created manually in 3D, though some are actually produced in 2D, e.g. textiles.  Plastic paintings give the illusion of having 3D volume, while actual 3D works have tactile interest.

Crafts were originally only produced for their functional purposes, e.g.clay pots to store or cook in, and the weaving of cloth for clothing etc.  Gradually crafts began to be decorated, so they had aesthetic value as well as functional.  Cloth went beyond protection to fashion.

Crafts have become functionally redundant now, e.g. cloth is now produced industrially instead of manually, and weapons are now used as decorations for walls rather than for hunting.  Crafts are now thought of as artistic rather than functional.

Cool Yard Yonder

Originally, raw materials for the craftwork came from nature – stone, wood, glass, fibre, clay, ore, wax, feathers, fur, hide, and mud.  Today craftwork includes industrially produced materials – plastic, polyester, metals, polyethylene, etc.  it is still called craftsmanship.

Illustration, fine arts, and crafts are in separate areas, but are all equal – not one is more important than the another.
Craft: Skill, artistic ability, trade occupation.
Fine Art: Artistic skill,  creative and aesthetic.
Artisan: is one trained to manual dexterity and skill.

Pipaluk Lake Glass

GLASS:  Molten, blown into shapes then cooled to solidity.  It may be painted, etched, sculpted, glazed, cut into pieces and reassembled, and used architecturally, either decoratively or functionally.

METAL:   Used for a long time, historically.  It may be hammered, rolled, moulded, cast, welded, rivetted, and in plate-form.  Damascus steel from the dark ages was stronger than the steel of today, but the formula can’t be reproduced.  Developed from 500AD to 900AD and used for coinage, weapons, agriculture, ornaments, jewellery, and in architecture both structurally and decoratively.

      
Textile Art – Practical, 3D, Decorative, Figurative.

TEXTILES: Created by using fibres – cotton, linen, flax, silk, skin, hide, hair, wool, fur and treebark.  It may be woven, pressed, tanned, dried, stretched, knitted, crocheted, knotted as in macrame, and beaten down as in tappa (bark) to make cloth.  it was used as trade goods, e.g. Persian carpets and silk bolts of cloth were used as money, and for treaty settlements and dowries.

CERAMICS:   This is the oldest for known to man, the making of objects from clay.  The Lascaux caves contain clay bisque in relief on the walls. Clay was used to make adobe bricks, pots for drinking and eating, sarcophagi for burials (in terracotta), tablets for writing messages, and beads for trade.  A potter (or ceramicist) works with clay, creating funtional and decorative items, either hand-built or wheel-thrown.
Hand-built – rolling coils to spiral, then coil into pots, slab pots, pinch pots.

Wheel thrown – shaping clay on a wheel – this was the first tool trade.
the clay is dried in the sun or kiln dried.  The heat changes the chemical composition of the clay.  The pieces are decorated with glazes baked on, painted before or after firing, and coloured oxides are used.  Different types of firing methods are reduction and oxidization.  They are classed according to the type of clay and firing temperature used:

   
Jennifer McCurdy;   Clay and Glass – Art-O-Matic

Earthenware:  coarse clay, low temperature.
Stoneware:  finer clay, mid temperature.
China:  finer clay still, higher temperature.
Porcelain:  fine white clay (Kaolin), fired extremely high temperature to give a translucent affect.

   
Cindy Weaver – Porcelain;       Lindsay Feuer Ceramics

For 3D ART:
Form:  includes material used, visual, how made, function, reason it’s made that way.
Shape:   not only outer contours but interior planes, and inner voids.
Mass:  is the actual physical solidity of it, but can be unshapen pliable material, e.g. mass of clay.

Jud House   2/09/2016

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VISUAL LITERACY – ANALYSIS

Deer in the Forest 1. 1913 – Franz Marc

MODERN.

FRANZ MARC – DEER IN THE FOREST 1. – 1913 – oil on canvas.

Franz Marc abstracted his subject of deer in the forest, playing with colour, shapes and symbols to create an image which represented the ‘harmonious co-existence of all living creatures.’  Despite the abstract nature of the composition the subject is still recognisable by the viewer, both with or without the title.

He used line cleverly – the contour lines around the heads and bodies of the deer, and the head and wings of the bird – flowing curvilinear lines for the branches of the trees, which also act as directional lines leading the eyes of the viewer around the composition, down to the deer, across to the bird, back to the central tree, which is the Tree of Life.  The edges formed by the trees against the background form another type of line.

He used organic shapes to define the subject, creating them with line, colour and texture on the trees on the far left and right.  The deer on the lower left have an underlying triangular shape, while the larger triangular shapes are formed from the central lower deer, to the right mid-level deer, then down to the lower right corner; and from the lower left deer, to the leaf, then to the mid-level right deer.  The background is comprised of geometric shapes, created mainly by colour, and the lines where they abut.

While he used colour descriptively – the fawn of the deer, the grey/white of the trees, the red of the sunset, the deep blue of the sky, top right, to depict the onset of night, the warm grey and blue of the bird – he also used the colours for the forest in the background expressively, working with analogous greens, blues and yellows subtly, yet occasionally touching this area with the contrasting red.  He had, of course, used red boldly as a focal point in the colour-play of the composition.

I feel that this composition is partly closed, by the use of the design stops in the trees on the left and right – yet partly open, as these trees go beyond the lower and upper edges of the canvas, and the ground along the base of the composition is not a visual barrier.  I believe the composition has several focal points – the colour red, already mentioned; the group of deer lower left; the dark green leaf on the central tree; and to a lesser extent the white area behind the same tree; and the deer on the right.

The composition is balanced asymetrically, and almost approximately, with the axis line just to the left of the central tree.  It is balanced both colourwise, and in areas of interest – the busy area of the deer balancing the busy area of the curly branches.  The intensity of the red, dark blue and yellow areas is balanced by the areas of less intensity of the deer and ground.  The values of the dark and the soft/light in these same areas is also balanced.

  

A feeling of movement is created by the diagonal line of the bird, while the trees appear static.  The deer are both.  The right deer appears to be turning back towards the other group – its body and head are on the diagonal.  The upper two deer in the main group also seem to have movement by their angularity, but the lower deer appear calm by their curved shapes and near horizontal lines.

The composition is loaded with symbolism – the Tree of Life in the centre, with love-knots in its branches to encompass the other forest trees, providing shelter for the birds and the beasts.  The descending night, the red-yellow glow, symbolically adds further protection for the deer, which he sees as symbolising virginity and innocence.  The single green leaf on the Tree of Life symbolises new growth and hope, anticipation of life to come.  The bird appears to be an owl, symbolising wisdom flying in to settle in the Tree of Life.  I can also see what I believe is the symbol for Man – the circle at the top of the green cylinder, lower right, seems to have an arrow leading out and up towards the deer on the right.  This, to me, represents Man as being a part of nature with the capabilities of co-existing in harmony with his environment.  This message is still valid today.

He has created a feeling of shallow space by overlapping the various components – bird over left tree, left and right trees over deer, deer over central tree, and that tree in front of diagonal lines in the red area which are suggestive of foliage.  Also, by the use of the dominant red area he has created a sense of that warmth coming forward, compressing the space in front of it.  The viewer is shown an image which appears to end just beyond the Tree of Life.

This is a delightful painting.  As the title suggests, Marc created further forest paintings, abstracting the images more intensely and vividly as you will see if you Google his Franz Marc/Paintings.

   
Deer in the Forest II ;            Roe Deer in the Forest;    

 
Deer in the Flower Garden     

PS: I added the smaller pics between the text to make it easier for you to find the artistic elements I describe without contstantly scrolling back.
If you choose to quote from this blog please cite the URL in your Bibliography. Thanks.

C) Jud House  2/09/2016

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Definitions for ART and DESIGN + Examples

ELEMENTS:  are point, line, shape,value and texture.
On their own they have no meanings, but jointly create visual messages, called Principles.

 

PRINCIPLES:  are contrast, repetition, subordination and harmony.
These are created by combining the Elements of Art.

POINT:  is the smallest visible entity, a set place in space, an indication of location, and can create strong visual energy.
One point indicates location; two points imply measurement and
direction; multiple points imply location, measurement, and direction; while different point sizes create all of the above plus vibration.

  

   

   

LINE:  can be described as a path left by a moving point, i.e. a path of action.
It indicates a position and a direction.  Energy travels its length and is intensified at each end.  Most important is directional force.
Horizontal:   supporting lines – stable.
Vertical:  gravitational pull – implied.
Diagonal:  dynamic, implying action.
Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, direct, indirect, unbroken, broken, and implied.

There is no absolute QUALITY of any visual unit.  Every element is influenced by its environment and any inter-relations which are operating – e.g.straight line illusions.

EXPRESSIVE QUALITY OF LINE:

  
1 A Cheer                                                  2. A Screech
   
3 A Death                                                             4 Deviousness

  
5 Gentleness                                                      6 Breathlessness

    
7 Out of Line                                        8 Line of Least Resistance

9 Breadline

LINE IN SPACE:  Changing one parameter at a time.

       

 

STRAIGHT LINE ILLUSION:

SHAPE:  awareness of the space within and the space outside of outlines.
Also of positive/negative relationships, figure/field reversal, and shape/space support.  Shapes can be either static or dynamic.

VALUE:  the relative lightness or darkness of surfaces.
Also called tone, tonal scales,tints and shades, tonal values.  It is the means by which we show volume on a 2D surface.  No values are absolute.

KEY:  is a balance between High, Intermediate and Low Values, i.e. lights and darks, within the whole work.
High is light, Intermediate is medium, and Low is dark.  Can be used to create moods within a work, e.g. happy, sombre.

TEXTURE:  is the tactile quality of a surface, or the representation of the quality.
Texture can be actual or implied.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:  involve the character or quality of relationships within the work and between the work and its surroundings.
We will deal with proportion; repetition and rhythm; unity with variety; contrast; and emphasis and subordination.

PROPORTION:  a ‘rapport’ between two dimensions – can have meaning without any sense of measurement.
Size relationship of parts to each other and parts to the whole.
Golden Mean/ Golden Proportion/ Golden Section: naturally occurring proportion – is the rate of all growth in the world. 1:1.618 or close to 5/8ths.
Fibonacci Series:  2; 3; 5; 8; 13; 21; 34; 55; 89; etc.  Take any rwo numbers and draw a rectangle e.g. 5 x 8 cms or 8 x 13 cms.  It also has its basis in nature.
5:8 = 10 x 16 or 2.5 x 4

UNITY WITH VARIETY:  is the appearance of oneness – with some diversity, which can be value, shape, texture, colour, or scale change.

CONTRAST:  is the interaction of contradictory elements, e.g. contrast of shape with unity of colour, or vica versa.

EMPHASIS & SUBORDINATION:  Emphasis establishes a centre of interest, while subordination supports a centre of interest.

Jud House  1/09/2016

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Notes on COLOUR

Colour grouping and usage:  

1  Descriptive – blue sky, green grass, yellow sun etc.
2  Monochrome – all one Hue or colour.
3  Arbitrary – any random or intentionally random grouping of colours.
4  Analogous – adjacent colours on colour wheel.
5  Complimentary – opposite colours on colour wheel – e.g. red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.

There are values in all colours.
Colours can be used to construct or to express.
Colour is used on the flat picture plane to give spacial references – warm advancing and cool receding – to create depth and volume.

         
Swing – Renoir;       La chat aux poissons rouges – Matisse;  

  Constructive use of colour:
1  Use values to create sense of volume –  3D quality – by manipulation of chromatic values to give roundness.  Renoir used colour values for volume, e.g. in SWING he used deep shade of orange for the shadows.
2  Balance composition with colour, by relating contrasts of colour, e.g. blue square to blue triangle.
3  Unify composition with uniform background, especially if mildly abstract.  Colour can also be used as directional lines to the focal point.
4  Colour identifies the subject matter, e.g. sky is blue, grass is green, by the change of colour between objects. This is illustrating with colour.

 Weeping Woman – Picasso

Expressive use of colour:
1  Colour is used to create a mood, e.g. sultry or peaceful.
2  Colours express emotions, e.g. happy, sad.  Happy paintings by Matisse, anguish in Picasso’s WEEPING WOMAN, sorrow in his Blue Period.
3  Colour is used to symbolise ideals, e.g. red, white and blue for patriotism; gold, blues and mauves for the Heidelburg School; blue dress, white veil, and gold halo in religious paintings.
4  Colour has an aesthetic quality all its own – it can be used in its own right, for its own appeal, its harmonies and its contrasts.

 Jud House   1/09/2016

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CUBIST SPACE versus RENAISSANCE SPACE

Q:   How does Cubist space differ from Renaissance space?

A:    To the uninformed viewer Renaissance space appears to be ‘very real’; to the artistically aware it has depth created by either linear or atmospheric perspective, or both; while to the art historian it reflects the emergence of a new scientific and humanist approach to art in its various forms.

In Pre-Renaissance times art was based on theology, with depictions of significant religious scenes concentrating on the narrative rather than the visual reality.  ‘Renaissance humanists did not discard theological concerns, but reaffirmed the human dimension, respected scientific exploration, and cultivated the classical literature of Greece and Rome.’ (Artforms, Prebble, p. 319) The Greeks had used the idealized physical form in their art, while the Romans had concentrated on physical accuracy in man and animal.  This return to naturalistic depiction began at the end of the 13th century with Giotto, in Italy, but gradually spread throughout Europe.

By studying light, anatomy and geometry the artists were able to imply deep space on the flat surface, by the creation of linear perspective.  Van Eyck introduced linseed oil as a medium, and as a result of the flexibility and consistency it gave, was able to paint ‘in minute detail, achieving an illusion of depth, directional light, mass, rich implied textures, and the physical likenesses of particular people’ (ibid, p. 321) as in his painting GIOVANNI ARNOLFINI AND HIS BRIDE. (ibid, p. 320 #425)

            
Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride – Van Eyck;            Birth of Venus – Botticelli

Patinir created atmospheric perspective – the illusion of receding distance in landscape painting – by using ‘warm brownish colors and strong value contrast in the foreground [shifting] through greens to light blue-green cool colors in the distance.’ (ibid, p. 322)  Durer added careful observation, and Lippi added worldly dimension to religious art, while Botticelli used lyric grace to depict his unclothed figures of Greek mythology as in his painting BIRTH OF VENUS. (ibid, p. 324 #429)  Lippi was among the first of the Florentine artists to use local models, like the children in his painting MADONNA AND CHILD, showing a religious image but with human emotions – the humanist approach.  he also manipulated scale to show receding distance, and linear perspective in the architrave of the window.

       
Adoration of the Magi – Durer;   Madonna and Child  – Lippi       

Thus the Renaissance space was naturalistic, created by both geometrical principles and colour and value graduations, the creation of chiaroscuro in depicting the human form realistically, the face of which would display human emotions and portray an actual person.

Cubist space, on the other hand, was the opposite – giving no illusion of depth at all.  Rather the artists concentrated on promoting the flatness of the picture plane.  This concept was gradually developed by Picasso and Braque, the former influenced by the primitive abstract sculptures of Africa and the oceanic region.  He used ‘the fractured triangulation of forms and the merging of figure and ground . . . which led to the style known as cubism’. (ibid, p. 384)

Gardanne – Cezanne;            Houses at L’Estaque – Braque;    

   
            Maisons sur la Colline – Picasso

The return to the use of the flat picture plane was a gradual process during the Post-Impressionist era, with Cezanne, using multiple planes in his painting GARDANNE (ibid, p. 385 #501), being an important onfluence onthe development of Cubism.  But while Cezanne was a Colourist, Picasso and Braque worked monochromatically, concentrating on the formal structure of the paintings, without the distraction of the emotions evoked by colour.  Thus Braque’s painting HOUSES AT L’ESTAQUE (ibid, p.384 #500) and Picasso’s painting MAISONS SUR LA COLLINE (ibid, P. 385 #502) are analogous and monochromatic abstractions of similar subject matter, showing the build-up of geometric forms rhythmically in a very shallow space.

Gradually the subject matter became even less important, merely a jumping-off point for the geometric shapes with and underlying it. ‘Cubism is a re-creation of objects, based on perceptions of mental and visual geometry.’ (ibid, p. 385)  This era of development was called Analytical Cubism, where the artists analyzed their subjects from multiple angles, showing them as the eye perceives them. By 1910, when Picasso painted PORTRAIT OF DANIEL HENRY KAHNWEILER (ibid, p. 386 #503), in which the image spread across the surface as a series of interlocking planes, angles, lights and darks rather than being recognisable as Kahnweiler, Cubism had become a fully developed style.

     
Guitar – Picasso;       Three Musicians – Picasso; 

With the taking of Cubism into sculpture, when Picasso created his sheet-metal GUITAR (ibid, p. 388 #506) it became constructed as well as carved and modelled.  By introducing colour, texture, pattern, and cut-outs to their Cubism, Picasso and Braque developed Synthetic Cubism.  The space was still shallow or flat, but the images were built-up with collage work or various papers, and materials; and they used over-lapping of forms and colours to imply shallow space.  Picasso’s painting THREE MUSICIANS (ibid, p. 390 #510) is in the flat Synthetic Cubist style, influenced by cut-out shapes of collage.  Braque’s painting THE ROUND TABLE demonstrated the mixture of Analytical and Synthetic Cubism – the former due to the merging of the subject with the background planes in the top section, and the latter by the ‘cut-out’ nature of the table and items it held – collage-like.  Duchamp, with his painting NUDE DESCENDING A STAIRCASE (ibid, p. 394 #515)  – one of my favourite Cubist paintings – added a sense of movement to Cubism, by showing all phases of an action at the same time – like still photographs superimposed.  The work was very linear, yet consisted of simple body planes, monochromatic colour and flat space.

     
The Round Table – Braque       Nude Descending a Staircase – Duchamp

Thus Cubist space shows no illusion to depth whatsoever, with its sometimes shallow space being created by overlapping, and the advancing and receding of various colours, rather than as an attempt to create depth.  Renaissance space, however, was a deliberate attempt to create the illusion of depth, by using both geometric means ( linear perspective), colour (atmospheric perspective) and value (chiaroscuro) manipulations.

NB:  If you choose to quote from this blog, please use its URL in your Bibliography.

(C) Jud House  1/09/2016

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3 Questions on 20th Century Art.

Q. 1:    By contrasting the works of two different artists note how Abstraction in painting before WW2 followed different directions.

Abstraction in painting was divided into two areas – Formal or Pure Abstraction.  The Formal side, following through the Cubism of Picasso and Braque, culminated in De Stijl (The Style) of Piet Mondrian, and the Suprematism of Malevich.

Samovar 1913 MoMA – Malevich

Through a series of tree paintings Mondrian developed his Formal approach – based on the use of cubist planes of colour, and compressed space – until he’d reduced the elements to the use of primary colours, plus black and white, simple geometric shapes, and the intersections of line, for example his COMPOSITION WITH RED, YELLOW AND BLUE painted in 1930.  He wanted to create a universal artform that was devoid of subject matter, and emotions, and could be appreciated and understood by persons all over the world.  He created harmony, order and balance by the manipulation of the elements of art.

Tree Series – Mondrian

Wassily Kandinsky, on the Pure Abstraction side, formed Der Blau Reiter (The Blue Rider) group of artists who believed in non-figurative but expressive works.  He linked colour to music, and talked about a ‘choir of colour’ when he painted his BLUE MOUNTAIN, which, though still containing some imagery, was predominantly painted for its colours and their psychological affects on the viewer.  He became more interested in the use of abstract organic shapes in his later works, and worked in series which each work evolving from the previous one, for example his BLACK ARCH series.  He used colour and line strongly, boldly; and he wrote a manifesto on his theories of colour.  His group believed in working from within, creating art based on the metaphysical plane and not related to life or nature.

  
Blue Mountain & Black Arch Series – Kandinsky

. . .

Q. 2:     By referring to three different works of art, relate how 20th Century sculpture breaks with tradition.

In the 20th Century, sculptors were freed from the restrictions that their materials set them, as new materials became available – plastic, perspex, sheet metal, wire, glass, and also existing items such as the bicycle seat and handle bars Pablo Picasso used to construct his assemblage called BULL’S HEAD, and although it was tongue-in-cheek as a Dada work, Duchamp’s BICYCLE WHEEL constructed from an existing bicycle wheel and stool.  Sculptors were free to construct their sculptures.

 
Bicycle Wheel & Bull’s Head – Duchamp

Henry Moore, with his use of voids, introduced the use of actual space into his sculptures – the sculpture’s mass became the contours of the void within, and also the void allowed the sculpture to interact with the landscape beyond it.  RECUMBENT FIGURE shows how Henry Moore used the void to show the weight and mass of the figure, and as an integral part of the work.

  
Recumbent Figure Series – Moore

Constantin Brancusi abstracted his subjects ruthlessly until only the essence of the subject remained, examples being THE FISH, SLEEPING MUSE, and THE KISS, the latter two of which he made several sculptures.  He discarded all unnecessary details – in THE FISH he wanted to show the slippery movement of the fish, so placed it on a motorised pedestal .  The use of actual movement was another addition to the modern sculpture , creating unlimited scope through electrification and lighting.

  
The Fish & The Kiss – Brancusi

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Q. 3:     Between the Wars artists reacted against traditional values and logic in society.
Discuss this attitude as seen in two art movements, referencing two artists and at least three works of art

After WW1 a group of artists led by Marcel Duchamp formed a movement called Dada – a silly name chosen for a movement that aimed to show the silliness in society at the time. They wanted to reintroduce the use of imagination, intuition, and free expression by the artist into art – they felt that the formal nature of art at that time was too far removed from reality.  They wanted to show that art could be fun, and to give the artist control over art rather than the gallery owners and academics.

Dada took two forms; Readymades – like Man Ray’s THE GIFT, which was an iron with nails protruding from its ironing plate, and Duchamp’s BICYCLE WHEEL made from a bike wheel and kitchen stool – and Jests (or corrected readymades) – like Duchamp’s LHOOQ, a print of Mona Lisa with a beard and moustache drawn on it.  There were also Chance works – like Hans Arp’s CONFIGURATION where he used string dropped on the floor to give him the initial image.

     
The Gift – Man Ray; LHOOQ – Duchamp; Configuration – Hans Arp

The Surrealists followed, developing the idea of the imagination, the dream-world, the meta-physical world, being portrayed free from any restrictions of moral, narrative, aesthetic rules.  They encouraged automatic drawing, and chance – Jean Miro used bright primary colours and organic shapes in his works, while Giorgio de Chico used a distortion of perspective and areas of space to create an uneasy feeling with his paintings, for example THE MYSTERY AND MELANCHOLY OF A STREET.

   
Women and Birds at Sunrise – Miro; The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street – de Chico

Salvador Dali, on the other hand, used Realism with startling clarity in his paintings, like THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, but introduced uneerie elements into his paintings – everyday things in juxtaposition that didn’t belong together – like melting clocks to evoke the feeling of time melting.  The Surrealist artists were now not only free of rules, but of reason as well, working in a new fourth dimension level of reality.

 
The Persistence of Memory – Dali
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I would like to challenge other artists out there to see if they can come up with answers to these 3 questions giving different (and perhaps favourite) examples of Art and Artists.
Either LINK them to this blog, or write them as a comment and add your name to them and I will add them to this blog for others to see.

If you wish to quote from this blog you may do so if you reference the quote to this URL.

© Jud House   29/08/2016