Art......Historically Speaking
Treasure Hunt VII
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*Clue #1A After the Medieval time in history when art was primarily one dimensional or flat, came the dawning of the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought about some great changes in art. Some of the changes were adding dimension and perspective, the contrasting of light and dark called Chiaroscuro, and the intense study of human nature, plus a return of studying and reproducing the classical art of ancient Greece and Rome. We're going to start in the Renaissance period of history with a great painter that once said, "The most praiseworthy form of painting is one that most resembles what it imitates." Which great Renaissance painter made that quote?
*1B This above artist was famous for using this technique. What is linear perspective?
Curved lines Straight diagonal lines. A figure eight A mathematical system for creating the illusion of space and distance on a flat surface such as a canvas or wall.
*Clue #2 In 1504, the Signora of Florence commissioned Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to paint the walls of the Grand Council Chamber in the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of government of Florence. What battle did Michelangelo paint?
2B Bonus Question What do you think was Michelangelo's most famous sculpture work?
*Clue #3A Next we're going to discover some artists from the Baroque era. This man was both a painter a sculptor and an architect. Many people consider him a greater sculptor than Michelangelo. Who was this incredible painter/sculptor/architect?
*3B.. This talented man was influenced by the classical Greek & Roman sculptures. Where did he study these works?
*Clue #4 Now we're going to learn a bit about one of the greatest painters of not only the Baroque time period, but one of the greatest painters of all times. Who was this artist?
*4B We're going to take a look at a couple of my favorite religious paintings. The first one is named The Calling of St. Matthews Enlarge this painting and look at this his use of a dark background and of lighting called Tennebrism or raking cellar light. What does his use of directed light illuminate?
faces feet walls dirty socks
*Clue #5 What makes a painting Baroque? Baroque was not only a period of history, but it was a definite style of painting, sculpture, along with architecture too. The Baroque era was sort of like a unique artistic growth spurt for the world. One of the techniques that you will often find in Baroque paintings are the use of diagonal lines such as in Carravaggio's painting called what?
5 B Which quality or qualities best describes the art of the Baroque era ?
grandeur drama vitality movement emotional exuberance all of the above
After the Baroque era came the age of Enlightenment. Some important European and American statesmen felt that by making the public aware of what was happening in the world around them that it would make the world a better place. What do you think of this idea? The age of Enlightenment brought about yet another change in art. The Industrial Revolution expanded the middle class and the middle class became patrons of the art. Art was no longer just for Church or for royal collections. However, even though it was the Age of Enlightenment art was still pretty much controlled by a panel of "so-called art experts ," from the Royal Academy called the jury. Juries molded public tastes they told them what was acceptable and what was not.
*Clue #6 The Salon did not like seascapes, nature, or landscape paintings unless they had some religious or mythological characters somewhere in the painting. Based on the previous sentence, do you think that these paintings by Claude Monet were acceptable to the Salon and why?
Were these acceptable to the Salon?
*6B Why?
*Clue #7 There were five major types of art movements in the Age of Enlightenment. These were: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, French Naturalism, French Realism, and Impressionism. Were going to explore just two of them. These two styles of painting were so completely different from each other. First you need to know the characteristics of both styles.
Neoclassicism a movement at the beginning of the 19th century was a rebirth of the Greek and Roman art and idealism. This art work was usually clear, linear, and often times with historical themes such as sacrificing oneself to the state. The attitude toward art and human existence was one using ideals of order, logic, restraint, accuracy, correctness, and decorum.
Impressionism on the other had came towards the end of the 19th century. This style of art was a general impression produced by a scene or object with the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light. This art was an attempt to accurately and objectively record visual reality in terms of transient effects of light and color.
This encompassed the use of natural light, optical effects of light, impression of light , coloration in dabs along with the use of loose brushwork The Impressionists were pretty much concern with the painting the upper and leisure classes.
Let's travel to Paris, France to the Louvre and look at the Jacque-Louis David's The Oath of Horati. Was this painting a Neoclassical painting or an Impressionist painting?
*7B We're going to visit another famous museum in Paris, my favorite, the Musée d'Orsay. This artist is my college instructor's (Denise de la Vaux) favorite painter. Who is this painter?
*7C Take a good look at this painting and if necessary read the above to paragraphs about the two painting syles. Is this painting Neoclassical or Impressionistic?
*Clue #8 That was pretty easy, don't you think? I'm sure that you got that right. So.... let's move onto another area of art that is much more difficult to tell apart; French Naturalism and French Realism.
The French Naturalism period happed in the mid 1800s. In 1831 to 1851 the population in Paris doubled in size. Paris became a huge metropolis. People longed for the less complex life of the rural countryside or the beautiful seaside of the South of France. Perhaps this is what sparked the Naturalism movement. TheNaturalist credo was: "Art should faithfully record ordinary life." This painting had no social or political message and any people painted in the pictures were only accents to the their natural surroundings.
The French Realist movement on the other had was a term coined for landscapes and seascapes with people (usually poor or overworked) as the main focus. What the people were doing especially if it was a social, political, or moral lesson was the key that determined whether the painting was considered Naturalist or Realist.
Take a close look at this painting of Jean-Babtiste Camille Corot's which hangs in the Lourve Museum in Paris. It's called The Bridge at Nantes. What kind of a painting is this, Naturalism or Realism?
*8B This next painting is by Jean-Francois Millet. (By the way Jean is pronounced more like John with a muffled G sound) His painting that I want you to look at is called The Gleaners. Click on the painting to enlarge it so you can get a better view of the subject matter. What is this type of painting, Realism or Naturalism?
* 9A One last question. These paintings that we've discussed certainly are treasures beyond measure. Which one of the following movements or periods is your favorite?
Renaissance Baroque French Realism French Impressionism French Naturalism Neoclassicism
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