Slide 2:
Study this painting created by Gabriele Münter. Do you think this is a work done by a successful artist? What questions would you ask to determine the value of this work of art?
What is Art?
The arts are a basic form of human communication. The visual arts, music, literature and poetry are all means by which people express themselves. Gabriele Münter. Staffelsee in Autumn. 1923. Oil on board. 34.9 x 48.9 cm. National Museum of Woemn in the Arts, Washington, DC
Slide 3:
ART has not always been what we think it is today. An object regarded as Art today may not have been perceived as such when it was first made, nor was the person who made it necessarily regarded as an artist. Both the notion of "art" and the idea of the "artist" are relatively modern terms.
Many of the objects we identify as art today -- Greek painted pottery, medieval manuscript illuminations, and so on -- were made in times and places when people had no concept of "art" as we understand the term. These objects may have been appreciated in various ways and often admired, but not as "art" in the current sense. Presentation of Nubian tribute to Tutakamun. Detail for a wall painting from the Tomb of Amenhotep Huy, XVIII Dyanasty, Egyptian, Thebes, Qurnet Mural.
Slide 4:
During the Renaissance, the word Art emerges as a collective term encompassing Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, a grouping given currency by the Italian artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. Subsequently, this grouping was expanded to include Music and Poetry which became known in the 18th century as the 'Fine Arts'. These five Arts have formed an irreducible nucleus from which have been generally excluded the 'decorative arts' and 'crafts', such as as pottery, weaving, metalworking, and furniture making, all of which have utility as an end.
But how did Art become distinguished from the decorative arts and crafts? How and why is an artist different from a craftsperson? Jan Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring. C. 1665-1667. Oil on canvas. 46.5 x 40 cm. Roayal Cabinet of Paintings, Mauritshuls, The Hague, The Netherlands, Scala/Art Resource, NY
Slide 5:
Scholars have tried to establish the qualities that identify an object as a work of Art. You may find that your own ideas about art take into account some of the same qualities note by scholars. Art should mirror reality. It must look like something seen in the real world.
Art must be pleasing to the eye, even if it is not realistic.
Art should express the artist’s ideas, believes, and feelings so that others can understand them. Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World.
Slide 6:
Do you agree with these ideas about Art? Perhaps they don’t all need to be true for a work to be considered art. Some works are successful because they look “real” while others are successful because they are “weird” but still mirror reality. Here is a definition:
Visual Arts – a unique expression of ideas, beleifs, experiences, and feelings presented in a well-designed visual form. Alan McCollum. Individual Works, 1987/88
Slide 7:
Still Life with Skull (Nature morte au crane) 1895-1900 (110 Kb); Oil on canvas, 54.3 x 65 cm (21 3/8 x 25 5/8 in); The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania Why Study Art?
In addition to the satisfaction and pleasure you get out of, a study of art will help you gain a better understanding of yourself and those around you. By studying the creative expressions of artists from all backgrounds, you can become more aware of the beliefs, ideas and feelings of people of various ethnic origins, religions or cultures.