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2013 Art Appreciation Basics Martin Zander 2 M. Zander Art Appreciation Basics This book has been purchased online on: XinXii.com – eBooks & documents from indie authors http://www.xinxii.com 3 Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer: This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this Guide to anyone else. If you received this publication from anyone other than xinxii.com, you've received a pirated copy. Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this Guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it's likely that they won't be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms. Finally, use your head. Nothing in this Guide is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform and entertain the reader. So have fun with the eBook, and get your stuff done. Copyright © 2013 Martin Zander. All rights reserved worldwide. 4 Contents Art Appreciation Basics ..................................................................................................... 7 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 7 Is This Art? .................................................................................................................................. 7 Art Isn't Always Pretty ................................................................................................................ 9 What Makes Something a Work of Art ...................................................................................... 9 Art Gallery Etiquette ....................................................................................................... 10 What am I supposed to see in a painting ................................................................................. 10 What is so important about color ............................................................................................ 10 What is with all the lines .......................................................................................................... 11 What is a mixed medium piece ................................................................................................ 11 Can I touch it ............................................................................................................................ 11 How do I react to Art ................................................................................................................ 11 Various Kinds of Art ........................................................................................................ 12 What is Abstract Art ................................................................................................................. 12 What does Contemporary Art mean? ...................................................................................... 12 What is Figurative Art............................................................................................................... 13 Folk Art ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Narrative Art ............................................................................................................................. 13 How is Realism different from Photography............................................................................ 13 Analyzing the subject of a painting .................................................................................. 14 Figure and Ground ................................................................................................................... 14 Light and Color ......................................................................................................................... 15 Unity and Variety...................................................................................................................... 15 Classic vs. Romantic.................................................................................................................. 15 Linear vs. Painterly ................................................................................................................... 16 Composition ............................................................................................................................. 17 Early Art Period .............................................................................................................. 17 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 17 ANTIQUITIES - before 500 years B.C. ....................................................................................... 18 GREEKS AND ROMANS - 500 B.C. to 500 A.D. .......................................................................... 19 MEDIEVAL - 500 to 1500 .......................................................................................................... 19 RENAISSANCE - 1400 to 1520 ................................................................................................... 20 NEOCLASSICAL - 1700 to 1800 ................................................................................................. 21 REALISM - 1800 to 1880 ........................................................................................................... 21 Modern Art Period .......................................................................................................... 22 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 22 MODERN ART - 1800 to present .............................................................................................. 22 IMPRESSIONISM - 1870 to 1900............................................................................................... 22 POSTIMPRESSIONISM - 1880 to 1920 ...................................................................................... 23 5 CUBISM - 1900 to 1920 ............................................................................................................ 23 ABSTRACT - 1912 to present .................................................................................................... 24 6 Art Appreciation Basics Introduction How many times have you said, "I don't know anything about art but I know what I like"? Don't be afraid to admit it… it's a common phrase and there's absolutely nothing wrong with saying it. The ironic thing about the sentence is, knowing what you like about art is really the first step toward knowing about art. You see, in order to understand art, you don't need a degree in the stuff. All you need are your eyes - and some time. I think we can all agree that a flower garden is easy to look at. All at once, the senses are bombarded with an orchestra of color, shape, line and texture. An activity free of stress, fear and judgment, stopping to smell the roses, is not unlike standing before a painting. But you would say…… when looking at a flower garden, no one expects you to know the bloom's name, where it was grown or what the gardener might have been thinking. To that I say, when looking at a painting, no one expects you to have special knowledge either. It's a misconception that if we do make the effort to wander into a museum or gallery, we will automatically be required to stand motionless in the quiet confines of large square roomsor worse - we will be summoned to speak in detail about the patterns and colors that hover above the hard wooden floors. Not a very thrilling proposition is it? Relax. Museums and galleries are of course nothing like that. While it is common courtesy not to shout in public places, in a museum, you are not required to wear all black, you need not spew art speak and there is no pop quiz at the end of your journey. In fact, you don't even have to like what you see. Is This Art? As a young, wide-eyed college student, I walked into my first drawing class expecting to learn about pencil techniques, anatomy or at the very least, why the recommended art 7 paper for the course cost me $14.34 a sheet. Instead, my classmates and I came face to face with an energetic drawing instructor with a rather unique teaching method. Our first assignment? Make marks on paper. It was a simple enough request until she added the following restrictions… no pencil, pen, ink, chalk, paint or other material from our art kits could be used. Dumbfounded and somewhat terrified, I (along with my peers) sat frozen - convinced that our professor was probably in need of a leave. Several arguments and many minutes later, one lone student stood up, threw his paper on the ground and proceeded to cough up a good amount of saliva. He then bent down, scooped up some dust and dirt from the cement floor, and carefully smeared the stuff on his spit soaked paper. Disgusted and confused, I stared at the event and began contemplating what a career in business might be like. Looking toward the door, I was somehow not shocked to hear my drawing teacher say, "Bravo!" Though I didn't know it at the time, (how could I?) that one small act changed the way I would forever think about and view art. Looking at a saturated mud picture in drawing 101 didn't make me like realistic portraits or harmonious landscapes any less... on the contrary. What it did do however, was help me to realize that fine art is not only paintings or drawings that look "right", nor is it simply sculptures which are executed in a "correct" manner. It also helped me to see that problem solving - in this case, creating marks on paper without traditional drawing tools - is a large part of art making. In other words, when you look at a work of art, you should never dismiss (or underestimate) the process the artist went through to get to the final stage... 8