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Historical context refers to the moods, attitudes, and conditions that existed in a certain time. Context is the "setting" for an event that occurs, and it will have an impact on the relevance of the event. Context is an important factor to consider when describing something in history.
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Historical context refers to the moods, attitudes, and conditions that existed in a certain time. Context is the "setting" for an event that occurs, and it will have an impact on the relevance of the event. Context is an important factor to consider when describing something in history. Historical context is the political, social, cultural, and economic setting for a particular idea or event. In order to better understand something in history, we must look at its context--those things which surround it in time and place and which give it its meaning. In this way, we can gain, among other things, a sense of how unique or ordinary an event or idea seems to be in comparison to other events and ideas. Consider this statement: "Sally hid her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers before she answered.“ Now imagine that your are reading this statement from a transcript of court documents in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Religious fervor was at an extreme, and villagers were nearly obsessed with the devil and witchcraft. For a young woman to tell a lie--that was fodder for hysteria and violent reaction. A reader would assume that poor Sally was a candidate for the gallows!
Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia, and are used today as a symbol of faith by many Wiccans, akin to the use of the cross by Christians and the Star of David by Jews. The pentagram has magical associations, and many people who practice Neopagan faiths wear jewelry incorporating the symbol. Christians once more commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus. The pentagram has associations with Freemasonry and is also utilized by a number of other belief systems.
Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient India as well as Classical Antiquity. Swastikas have also been used in other various ancient civilizations around the world. It remains widely used in Indian Religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, primarily as a sacred symbol of good luck. Following a brief surge of popularity in Western culture, the swastika was adopted as a symbol of the Nazi Party of Germany in 1920. After Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, a swastika was incorporated into the Nazi party flag, which was made the State Flag of Germany. As a result, the Swastika became strongly associated with Nazism and related ideologies such as Fascism and White Supremacism since the 1930s in the western world and is now largely stigmatized.
The tombstone of Abbot Simon de Gillans [1345 CE] who has been immortalized in stone and is wearing robes ornamented with crosses, interspersed with swastikas. The Abbot is on display at the Musee de Cluny, Paris. The cross being in partnership with the swastika and possibly having become a simplification of the swastika, as the swastika moved in ancient times from its Vedic homeland [the Indus Valley] across Persia to Europe and beyond. One question that I am often asked is if the cross of early Christianity was invented as a result of the story of the crucifixion of Jesus? The answer is no. The cross of early Christianity was already in use in the Mediterranean world and beyond, long before the time of Jesus. The Bronze Age civilizations that flourished in Northern Europe as early as 1,800 BCE, used the centered cross of equal proportions [+] as a regular part of their symbolic script. It is this cross, of the Bronze Age, that was first adopted by Christianity.
Chronology is the science of arranging time in periods and ascertaining the dates and historical order of past events.
Dating an artwork or recognizing the objects age can be determined the following ways: Physical evidence – materials used or manufacturing technique Documentary evidence – official records, dated written document Visual evidence – identifiable person, hairstyle, clothing, or furniture fashionable during certain time. Stylistic evidence – artist distinct way of producing an artwork
What is Style? Period Style – refers to the characteristics artistic manner of a specific time, usually within a distinct culture. The concept of period style first appeared in the writings of the German scholar Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768). Often called the father of art history, Winckelmann developed a historical framework for Greek sculpture that was based on the way the objects looked. The Greeks and the Romans also had written about the works, but their histories and guides primarily discussed specific masterpieces or great artists. Winckelmann, on the other hand, created a structure that relied upon visual characteristics, which he defined with beautiful ekphrastic passages about individual sculptures
Regional Style – term art historians use to describe variations in style and geography. Fowling scene, Nebamun tomb, 1400-1350 bc Temple of Horus, Edfu 237 -47 bc
Personal Style – the distinctive manner of individual artist or architect.
Picasso – Blue period, Rose period, Analytical Cubism
What is the Subject? Religious Historical Mythological Genre Portrait Landscape Still Life Iconography (image writing) refers to content (subject of work) & the study of symbols
Elements of Art Line Shape Color Texture Value Space Form Principles of Design Balance Unity Emphasis Rhythm Proportion
Line – the path of a moving point or continuous mark, which may vary in thickness, length or direction
Texture – How things feel or look as they would feel. The way a surface is treated; can be real or implied
Value – Lightness or Darkness of Hue Chiaroscuro Tenebrism
Space – Above, below, around, beside or beyond on object. Trompe l’oeil Negaitive Space Positive Space Linear perspective Atmospheric Perspective
Color – Hue; pigment Primary Colors Secondary Colors Tertiary Colors Analogous Colors Complimentary Colors Neutral Colors Monochromatic Warm vs Cool
Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum.
Approximate Symmetry There is a variant of symmetrical balance called approximate symmetry in which equivalent but not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum line.
When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the result is Bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally around a central point , resulting in radial symmetry Radial Balance
Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole. This means that it is necessary to discuss proportion in terms of the context or standard used to determine proportions
Our most universal standard of measurement is the human body; that is, our experience of living in our own bodies. We judge the appropriateness of size of objects by that measure. For example, a sofa in the form of a hand is startling because of the distortion of expected proportion, and becomes the center of attention in the room. Architectural spaces intended to impress are usually scaled to a size that dwarfs the human viewer. This is a device often used in public spaces, such as churches or centers of government. The same principle is often applied to corporate spaces through which the enterprise wishes to impress customers with its power and invincibility.
DominanceDominance is an object or color that stands out in relation to the rest of the painting –aka- emphasis Emphasis /Focal Point • Contrast • Isolation • Placement
Raphael “School of Athens” Linear Dominance, One point Perspective
Dominance – Color Christo & Jeanne Claude
Contrast- Colors & Value Straight & Curved Lines Angular & Organic Shape Smooth & Rough Texture
Movement - Repetition Progressive Repetition Salvador Dali “The Hallucinogenic Toreador”
Movement – Guide veiwer’s eye through picture Direction & boundary of a shape, positioning of people, arrows, direction people are looking
Composition In the visual arts – in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture – composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art. The term composition means 'putting together,' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought. In the visual arts, composition is often used interchangeably with various terms such as design, form, visual ordering, or formal structure, depending on the context. The failure to organize is a common beginner’s error, and one that more experienced artists make as well sometimes. It’s easy to get caught up in “just painting what you see” without realizing that a painting is a statement about what you think is important. If you don’t create a hierarchy, you make the statement that nothing in your picture is important. Paintings without hierarchy don’t attract the eye and don’t have wall presence. Even big complex paintings, with many figure groups doing various things, have a clear sense of hierarchy—the more complex the composition, the more important the need for making some things more important than others.
Include historical information. • What country or region was it made in? • Does it belong to a particular movement, age, or school of thought? • Is this work typical or atypical of its period, style, or artist? What artistic influences can be seen in the artist’s work? • Analyze the work itself. • How does the art “work?” That is, what details in the piece are used to convey its meaning? • Consider how these details function by themselves and together as a whole. • Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings: • How does the artist use color? Are there stark contrasts or is it blended? Are there • symbolic meanings behind the color choices? • How does the artist use line? Are forms linearly arranged or disordered? Are there • geometric shapes implied by the forms in the piece? • Are the forms in the piece realistic or abstract? Are they fully one style or do they mix the two? • Sculpture and 3-D Pieces: • What is the medium of the piece, and how does it affect the viewer’s impression? • (For example, stone gives a sense of permanence and strength.) • What was the purpose of this piece? In what setting was it originally placed? • Is the piece unusually large or small? • Is the piece representational or abstract? Is the artist exploring forms or space within forms? • Is the piece a portrait of a person? What type of impression does it give of the subject? • Is the pose strong or relaxed? Are there objects with the person? • Architecture and Space: • What is the form of the structure, and what is the function? How do form and function complement each other? • Is the structure useful? How do people move throughout the structure? Are there significant accommodations or restrictions to t • his movement? • Is the building or space structurally sound, given its location, design, and materials? • What role does daylight play? Is the inside bright or somber? • Do the exterior and interior complement each other? Is either adorned with ornamentation in the form of statuary, color, or paintings?
Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe 1863 The Luncheon on the Grass
Dionysiac Mystery Cult, Villa of the Mysteries, 50 BC - wall painting frieze, Pompeii
Master Hugo Majestas Domini (Christ in Majesty) Bury St. Edmunds Bible (English) circa 1135
Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-23 You see a painting of Ariadne. Seated on a rock, she is looking at her sister Phaedra...Ariadne was taken away from Theseus by Dionysus, who sailed against him with superior forces, and either fell in with Ariadne by chance or set an ambush to catch her.
Volume Space Perspective Proportions
