Art Matters Student Resources

Why Is It Important to Repair a Sculpture?

Core Competency: Social Responsibility and Ethics

    FIGURE 1.50. Alberto Giacometti. Walking Man I. 1960. Bronze, 5’  11” × 10 ¾” × 3’ 2 ¼”. The Foundation Alberto and Annette Giacometti.

Imagine that your university owns an artwork by  Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (ahl-BAIR-toh jah-koh-MEH-tee). Giacometti is  known for sculptures of emaciated figures that stride forward despite their  condition, as if they capture the human will to survive. Figure 1.50 shows an  example of his work.

Giacometti created many of these sculptures after  World War II, when he fled Paris after the Nazis invaded France. Many art  historians see his work as a testament to those who lived through the difficult  time. However, many also see Giacometti’s work as timeless, as it speaks to  people in general who have suffered and carried on. An exhibition of his art in  New York, for example, following the September 11 attacks in 2001, emotionally connected  with many New Yorkers who had lived through the terrorist strike.

The sculpture at your university has been much  beloved. Because yours is a public university, the state purchased the sculpture.  Faculty from numerous disciplines have discussed the sculpture in classes.  Moreover, students have had a tradition of rubbing the figure’s toes before  exams for luck.

Last week, a workman accidentally damaged the  sculpture. The university has to determine whether it should budget to fix the  work. You have decided to write a letter to the editor of your student  newspaper describing how it is the university’s and community’s responsibility  to repair the sculpture.

How Might You Define a Work as Art?

Core Competency: Critical Thinking

FIGURE 2.47. Felix Gonzalez-Torres. “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.).1991. Candies, individually wrapped in multicolor cellophane, endlesssupply, overall dimensions vary with installation, ideal weight 175 lb.Installation view: More Love: Art, Politics and Sharing Since the 1990s.Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1 February –31 March 2013. Curator Claire Schneider. Catalogue. [Travels to Cheekwood,Nashville, Tennessee, 21 September – 31 December 2013]. Photographer PeterGeoffrion. © Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Courtesy of The Felix Gonzalez-TorresFoundation.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres created “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (figure 2.47) in 1991. Ross was the artist’s partner, who died from an AIDS-related illness that year. When this work was created, people who contracted AIDS often died after suffering from an illness that caused infections, weakness, and weight loss. They were also often shunned and discriminated against.

When exhibited, the work consists of 175 pounds of wrapped pieces of candy heaped on the floor in a pile that can vary in size. Its weight can be understood to correspond to Ross’s ideal body weight. Visitors are allowed to take a piece of candy. The exhibiting museum or gallery either replenishes the candy every night, so each day it starts at 175 pounds, or allows the work to be completely removed by visitors. In that visitors can take a part of the art, it is similar to Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” (Death by Gun) (figure 2.20).

Consider the material in Chapter 2 and answer the following questions about this work.

• Is the work representational, abstract, or nonobjective? How do you know?
• What is the subject matter of the work?
• What is the form of the work and how can it change? (Describe at least five different things.)
• What context do you know about the artist’s biography and the period when the work was created?
• What is your experience with terminal diseases?
• What is your experience with candy? (Describe positive and negative aspects.)
• What do you think the content of the work is?
• How do the subject matter, form, context, and your personal experience suggest the content? Which theme do you think the work falls under? Why?
• Do you think you would have thought this work was art before you read this chapter?
• Do you think the work is art now?
• Picking from one of the ways that art can be defined as described in Chapter 2, why is this work art?
• If you have changed your mind about whether the work is art, how did being an active viewer make you change your mind?

How Does an Artist Use the Visual Elements of Art?

Core Competency: Communication Skills

FIGURE 3.59A AND B. (A) Color wheel; (B) Jean-François Millet. The Gleaners. 1857. Oil on canvas, 2’ 9” × 3’ 8”. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

In 1857, French painter Jean-François Millet (jawn fran-SWAH mee-LAY) created The Gleaners (figure 3.59B). In the painting, three women, the poorest of the poor, glean bits of wheat from a field. They stoop to collect the remnants left after the harvest, so that their families will have something to eat. In the distance, contrasting with their meager collections, are the abundant gains of the landowner piled high. The women appear monumental and unfazed by the backbreaking work. Millet also depicted the image using a free and loose impasto that lends an overall softness to the difficult scene. Millet thought of himself as a painter of the downtrodden. In fact, Millet’s works were often seen as revolutionary calls to support the lower class.

In this activity, you will write an analysis of the painting, considering each of the visual elements of art. Describe each of these visual elements and explain how each element supports what you think the content of the painting is. (Remember that the content must be informed by the context.) To do so, you will answer each of the points below. A color wheel is provided in figure 3.59A for your use.

Describe Millet’s use of line. Be sure to discuss:

• The character of the lines
• The directions of the lines
• The actual and implied lines
• How the lines support the content

Describe Millet’s use of shape. Be sure to discuss:

• The character of the shapes
• The directions of the shapes
• The geometric and organic shapes
• The positive and negative shapes
• How the shapes support the content

Describe Millet’s use of texture. Be sure to discuss:

• The character of the texture
• The actual and simulated texture
• How the texture supports the content

Describe Millet’s use of light and value. Be sure to discuss:

• The various values throughout the work
• The use of chiaroscuro
• The use of value to create expression
• How the light and value support the content

Describe Millet’s use of color. Be sure to discuss:

• The hues used
• The value of the colors
• The intensity of the colors
• The scheme
• How the colors support the content

Describe Millet’s use of space. Be sure to discuss:

• The techniques Millet used to create the illusion of the three-dimensional space
• How the space supports the content

Describe Millet’s use of time. Be sure to discuss:

• The methods he used to make time appear in the work
• How the time supports the content

How Does an Artist Use the Principles of Design?

Core Competency: Global and Cultural Awareness

FIGURE 4.40. Ben Jones. Black Face and Arm Unit. 1971. Painted plas­ter casts, life size. New Jersey State Museum, Trenton.

In 1971, Ben Jones created Black Face and Arm Unit (figure 4.40) out of painted plaster casts. Ben Jones is an African American artist, who has often explored his African and African American roots in his art, considering topics such as slavery, spiritual music, body decoration, ritual, and black power. The body parts in the work are life size and are covered in painted, colored patterns; some of the hands have missing fingers.

In this assignment, you will write an analysis of the work, considering each of the principles of design. Describe how Jones used each principle and explain what each principle adds to the overall meaning of the work. (Remember that the content must be informed by the context.) To do so, you will be submitting answers to the questions below.

Hint: You may want to use your knowledge of the works of other African or African American artists whose art may give you some insight into Jones’s work such as the scarification patterns on the woman’s face (figure 2.10A), Stowage by Willie Cole (figure 2.26), or Wigs by Lorna Simpson (figure 4.9).

Describe Jones’s use of unity and variety:

• What elements in the work create unity?
• What elements create variety?
• What do you think the use of unity and variety means in this work? (Hint: Consider what Jones is saying about these people with his use of unity and variety.)

Describe Jones’s use of balance:

• What creates the actual weight in the work?
• What is visually heavy in the work?
• What type of balance does Jones use? How do you know?
• What do you think the use of balance means in this work? (Hint: Consider why Jones might have selected the type of balance that he did and what he is trying to say.)

Describe Jones’s use of emphasis and subordination:

• What are the areas of emphasis in the work? Why are these areas of emphasis?
• What are the areas of subordination? Why are these areas of subordination?
• What do you think the use of emphasis and subordination means in this work? (Hint: Consider what Jones emphasized on the people, why he would have emphasized those areas, and what he is trying to say.)

Describe Jones’s use of scale and proportion:

• What is the scale in the work? (Hint: See the description of the work at the beginning of this Explore Art Matters activity.)
• Are any of the proportions off in the people?
• What do you think the use of scale and proportion means in this work? (Hint: Consider why Jones used the scale and proportions of the people that he did and what he is trying to say.)

Describe Jones’s use of rhythm:

• How specifically is the rhythm created in the work? (Hint: Be sure to describe the form.)
• What is the speed of the rhythm? How do you know from the form that it is this speed?
• What mood and feeling does the rhythm create? How do you know from the form that it is this mood and feeling?
• What do you think the use of rhythm means in this work? (Hint: Consider why Jones used the speed and feeling that the work has and what he is trying to say.)

What Is the Nature of a Digital Drawing?

Core Competencies: Critical Thinking

FIGURE 5.30. Roman Verostko. Floating Cloud (h22b). 2010. Algorithmic pen-and-brush drawing on paper, 2’ 6” × 1’ 10”. Digital Art Museum, online.

To create Floating Cloud (h22b) (figure 5.30), American artist Roman Verostko did not make any marks—virtual or real. Instead, he wrote an algorithm (coded instructions). An algorithm is like a recipe. If you gave a friend a recipe for cookies, the friend could follow the directions and make the cookies, even if you weren’t there to measure or mix. Similarly, Verostko focused on the procedure needed to create the drawing and left the mark making to a machine. An ink pen mounted on the arm of a pen plotter “drew” the image on paper. Verostko’s algorithm directed the pen plotter in what color to use and where to place the marks. The image, made up of thousands of exactly placed lines, creates an illusion of a three-dimensional form with its soft, modeled tones.

Part A

Before beginning this activity, write down your answers to these questions that have no “correct” answers in a separate Word processing system. Many people would have different responses:

• If drawing is all about an artist making marks, and if an artist such as Verostko is only writing code, is the work really a drawing?
• What about the fact that Verostko can create numerous printouts? Are these printouts original works of art or reproductions, since drawings have traditionally been single works of art?
• What if Verostko emails his code to someone else and that person prints the drawing out when Verostko isn’t even there? Is that work a drawing?
• Is someone else’s printing out Verostko’s drawing so different from what an artist’s apprentice would have done in the past? (These apprentices worked alongside their masters, so that they could learn a trade, but they often created whole sections of works of art that were credited to the master artist.)
• Does digital drawing present us with similar questions about the nature of drawing that have been questions for centuries?

Part B

Once you have written your answers, reach out to one of your classmates, ask if you can share answers, and inquire what his or her answers were to the same questions. To complete this assignment, you will submit your answers for the Part A questions along with the below Part B questions:

• Did you both answer the questions the same way?
• How did your classmate’s answers broaden your thinking on the topic of digital art?

Can Works of Art Promote Change?

Core Competency: Social Responsibility and Ethics

FIGURE 6.29. Nilima Sheikh. Hunarmand (One Who Has a Talent). 2014. Casein tempera on canvas, 10’ × 6’.

Hunarmand, which means “one who has a talent” (figure 6.29), is one of a series of ten large-scale works on loose canvas by contemporary Indian artist Nilima Sheikh (neeh-lih-MAH SHAIYKH). The title of the series, “Each night put Kashmir in your dreams,” comes from a line of a poem by Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali. The paintings are meant to be hung from the ceiling rather than placed against walls and recall traditional Asian scroll paintings. In each of the works, Sheikh asked the viewer to remember Kashmir, a disputed region in Southeast Asia, known during the artist’s childhood as an idyllic paradise, but now wracked by conflict.

Sheikh focused on the beauty and talent of Kashmiri craftspeople, some of whom are from historical references and others of whom are people the artist knows. She presented a flattened view in vertical strips of boxes, each containing peaceful views of the people performing different trades.

Using tempera’s semitransparent properties, Sheikh built up thin, luminous layers of paint, melding one box into another. Then, she crafted distinct details, employing tempera’s linear qualities. The whole, given the traditional format and translucent nature of the tempera paint, presents us with a seemingly dreamlike view of a world that no longer exists.

For this assignment, you will answer the following questions:

• Many people would respond to Sheikh’s work aesthetically (see Chapter 2). Does this fact make Sheikh’s message of loss more or less powerful? Why?
• Is art, and the medium of painting in particular, a good forum in which to raise complex social/political/religious/ ethnic issues that we face in our world? Why or why not?
• What is the civic responsibility of painters like Sheikh to address such complex issues in their art?
• How much of a personal responsibility do individual viewers have to respond in some tangible way to the issues that artists raise in their art?
• Do you believe that art can promote change? Why or why not?
• The story of The Great Wall of Los Angeles, discussed in Chapter 6, showed how murals are often created to provide discourse and communicate to a broad mass of viewers because they are produced for public spaces that have nothing to do with art like parks, airports, and plazas. Sheikh’s work was shown in a museum. Does this fact—whether a work is displayed in a non–art or museum space—alter how you answered any of the previous questions?

Is a Raimondi Print Art?

Core Competency: Critical Thinking

 FIGURE 7.38. Marcantonio Raimondi after Raphael. The Judgment of Paris reconsidered.

Look at Marcantonio Raimondi’s print (reproduced here as figure 7.38). Pick a side to argue as to whether or not the print is art. You will be considering the context of the image described in Chapter 7 (figure 7.6) and answering these issues to support your position:

• If a print is used for a utilitarian purpose, can it still be considered art? Why or why not?
• How does the Raimondi print differ from the copy of the image reproduced in the print version of the book (figure 7.6)?
• The print presents what many would consider an aesthetically beautiful scene of perfectly posed figures with idealized bodies. Does the fact that the image may be pleasing to the eye matter?
• Is it relevant that Raimondi copied Raphael’s drawing exactly with no modifications of his own? Why or why not?
• What about technique and skill? Does the fact that Raimondi had to be an excellent engraver to recreate Raphael’s work make a difference?
• Who is the artist—Raphael, Raimondi, or both men? What if Raimondi had not been in a partnership with Raphael and had copied and reproduced the drawing without permission, trying to pass it off as Raphael’s work? (In fact, Raimondi did anger other artists by copying their work deceptively!)
• Does the fact that printmaking is usually a collaborative process matter?
• Is this work an original print? Does the fact that this work is or is not an original print matter?
• This print is in the collections of a number of museums. If a work belongs to a museum, does that make it art? Why or why not?

How Do a Director’s Artistic Decisions Affect You?

Core Competency: Communicating Information

Pick an approximately three- to five-minute scene from any narrative, scripted, live-action film that you have access to watch. How does the director use mise en scène, cinematography, editing, and sound to advance the story in this scene and communicate with you? How do these decisions affect you? Watch the scene from the film three times and answer the following:

• The first time, focus on the story. What happens in the scene?
• The second time, pay attention to the mise en scène and cinematography. How does the filmmaker manipulate mise en scène and cinematography to depict the time period, location, and story? Consider color, light, scenery, costumes, and makeup for mise en scène, as well as how close and far away the camera is to the characters and how the camera moves for cinematography.
• The third time, pay attention to editing and sound. How does the filmmaker manipulate editing and sound to depict the time period, location, and story? Consider how shots are joined and what is going on in the two shots that are joined when the transitions occur for editing, as well as how the music, voices, and noises change as the action does for sound.

Why Would You Pick a Certain Typeface for a Logo?

Core Competency: Communicating Information

For this assignment, imagine that you have decided to start your own company. You need to pick a typeface that you will use for the company logo that spells out the company’s name.

This assignment comes in three parts:

Part A

Knowing what you do about how typefaces communicate different personalities and how you’ll want one that works with your company’s identity, you’ll first need to make some decisions about your organization. To complete this part of the assignment, you will submit answers to the following questions:

• What type of business are you starting?
• Where will the organization be located?
• What are you selling?
• Who is the audience that you are specifically going to try to get to buy from you?
• What differentiates your business from the competition?
• What message do you want to emphasize in the logo based on what you think is important to communicate to your audience?
• What is the name of your business?

Part B

Now, create your logo. Write your business’s name in any word processing program. Then, try out different typefaces by applying them to your business’s name. Pick one that communicates your message. Do not use more than one typeface, and do not use any other marks or images other than the letters in your company’s name.

Part C

Finally, explain the logo:

• Write down the name of the typeface you have selected.
• Explain why you picked this typeface. In your explanation, be sure to describe the serifs (or lack thereof), main strokes, and overall letterforms of the typeface, and how the form of these features affects the distinct overall look and personality of your logo.

After you submit the assignment, share your logo with your instructor through their preferred method of correspondence.

What Are the Differences in Two Pietàs?

Core Competency: Critical Thinking

(A)

(B)

FIGURE 10.35A AND B.  (A) Roettgen Pietà. c. 1300–25. Painted  wood, height 2’ 10 ½”. Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany; (B) Michelangelo Buonarroti. Pietà. 1498–99. Marble, height 5’ 8 ½”. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Rome.

Figures 10.35A and B depict two sculptures of the pietà (pee-ay-TAH), an image of the Virgin Mary holding and mourning her dead son, Jesus. The first is by an unknown fourteenth-century German sculptor and the other by Michelangelo, whose work was featured in Chapter 10 (figure 10.22).

Compare the two pietàs, taking into consideration the images and caption and answering the following questions.

• How would you describe the differences in the masses of the sculptures, considering the overall size, bulk, compactness, rigidity, and form of each?
• How are the two materials (see caption) the artists used different in terms of durability, value, and appearance?
• How would you describe the type of sculpture each artist created? How do you know it is this type?
• How would you describe the carving techniques of the sculptors, considering the different surface qualities and approaches to projections?
• How would you describe the different expressions of the two sculptures, considering the feeling about this personal moment of mourning that each sculptor was trying to convey?
• How do the decisions that each sculptor made concerning mass, material, type, and technique help convey the meaning of the sculptures?

Core Competency: Communication Skills

Imagine you are the parent of a fifth grader. You have decided to volunteer for a program that is designed to bring art into the classroom of your child’s school.

You will be going into your child’s class for three sessions. During the first session, you will present an artist to the students, explain an art-making project that is based on the artist’s work, and help the students with the project. During the second session, you will help the students finish the art project. During the third session, you will lead a discussion in which the students describe what they learned about the medium and artist in the process of making their works.

The teacher has asked you to pick an artist who works in clay. The school has a kiln, and the art teacher will fire the clay works. Pick a clay artist from Chapter 11 and a corresponding handforming (not wheel-thrown) technique that the artist uses. Then, create a lesson plan that you will use to run the class.

In the assignment, you will structure your lesson plan as follows:

General:

• Write down what your goals, expectations, and main points are for the lesson and what you hope the children will take away from it

First Session:

• Include the name of the artist you will cover and a list of several points that you plan to discuss about the artist and the artist’s work
• Include the name of the forming technique you will have the students try, the steps of how students should form their vessels, and the materials you will bring to the class

Second Session:

• Include the name of the finishing technique you will have the students try, the steps of how students should finish their vessels, and the materials you will bring to the class

Third Session:

• List some ideas about what you want to point out to the students that they may have learned from the experience

How Would You Describe a Building?

Core Competency: Communication Skills

Before starting this assignment, go on a walking tour of your college or town and pick a building that you like. Take a picture of the exterior and interior. Gather your answers for the following questions, along with your photographs, before you begin this assignment:

• What is the building’s function?
• How successful was the architect in making the building’s form follow its function?
• How would you describe the building’s mass and interior space?
• What is the environment around the building like? How does the building relate to that environment?
• What message or vision do you think the architect was trying to express with his or her design?
• What material(s) and structural system(s) were used?
• Why do you think the architect chose the particular material(s) and structural system(s) that he or she did?

The Art of Prehistory and Ancient Civilizations in Europe and the Mediterranean

What Does a Timeline Communicate?

Core Competency: Communication Skills

FIGURE 13.39. Timeline of prehistory and ancient civilizations in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Chapter 13 considers art from a vast expanse of time. In this activity, you will gain a better understanding of the time period by considering a timeline that graphically depicts the different periods (figure 13.39) and answering these questions:

• What is the most important point that the timeline shows?
• Give an example of a civilization that influenced another and explain why this was the case.
• Why is the continuity or lack of continuity in the style of art of certain civilizations remarkable given the duration of the civilization?
• Given that Rome, the latest civilization on this timeline, ends in 395 CE, and knowing that we today live in a period just over 1,600 years later, what major change do you think occurs with later civilizations?

Core Competency: Critical Thinking

To complete this project, you will need a printout of a color photo of a person’s face. If you do not have a color printer, you may use a black and white printout and just follow the colors as they appear on your screen. The photo should be approximately 2 ½” by 4” in size. You will also need scissors, six different colored sheets of construction paper, and glue.

Byzantine artists often used mosaic to create images. Explore this technique by creating a paper mosaic.

1. Place the picture of the face on a table in front of you.
2. Cut out small pieces of construction paper (approximately ¼” by ¼”) to employ as the mosaic “tiles,” using colors similar to those in the face.
3. Following the design on the picture, paste the cut pieces of construction paper directly on top of the face.
4. Place similar colors of construction paper over similar colors on your picture (so, for example, you would paste red or pink construction paper over the mouth on your face). The picture should still be recognizable as a person’s face even with the cut pieces of construction paper on top.
5. Place the cut pieces of construction paper close together and cover the entire face.
6. When you are finished, you should not be able to see any of the original image.

Once your mosaic is complete, consider the effect by answering the following questions:

• How is your mosaic different in form and style from the original picture of the face?
• Would you describe your mosaic as representational, abstract, or nonobjective? Why?
• How is your mosaic similar to and different from the Byzantine mosaic shown in Chapter 14 (figure 14.11)?
• Now that you have completed this project, and knowing what you do about Byzantine art, why do you think that Byzantine artists might have chosen the medium of mosaic to create images?
• How did the medium help Byzantine artists achieve their goals?

Should a Benin Artifact Be Returned?

Core Competency: Social Responsibility and Ethics

In 1897, several British citizens were killed during an expedition to Benin. These men had wanted to meet with the king when he was in the midst of honoring ancestors. They had been told not to enter the city, but they persisted. Even though there was no evidence that the oba had any involvement in the killings, the British retaliated, storming the palace and city. British troops sent the king into exile and plundered over two thousand artifacts, including numerous sacred objects from seventeen ancestral shrines. They gave many of these objects to the British Museum and sold others around the world.

Recently, ethical concerns have been raised about keeping these artifacts. Many people feel that seizing art robs a country of its cultural heritage and sacred artifacts. In addition, when art is displayed outside of its cultural context, it loses meaning.

These people suggest that the artifacts should be returned, especially as the king’s son was allowed to return from exile in 1914 to restore the monarchy and rebuild his palace. Today, there is only one ancestral shrine in the palace, honoring all past kings.

Other people argue that keeping the Benin art in international museums is warranted as they are better able to care for the artifacts. They also suggest that having the artifacts in numerous locations allows people from around the world greater access to experience the art of different cultures. They claim the artifacts should be kept where they are.

Your local museum has a Benin artifact on display. The newspaper has written an editorial suggesting that the artefact be returned to the Benin people.

In this exercise, you will write a letter to the editor in support of or in opposition to the editorial. Your letter must take a stance on whether the artifact should be returned and must give valid reasons to support your view. Be sure to take into consideration what you know about Benin artifacts (discussed in Chapter 16), other art that is in dispute such as the Parthenon sculptures (discussed in Chapter 13), art education and looting (discussed in Chapter 1), and approaching difficult art (discussed in Chapter 2).

How Would You Review the “Primitivism” Exhibition?

Core Competency: Global and Cultural Awareness

FIGURE 17.26A and B. (A) Moai reconsidered; (B) Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. Hieratic Head of Ezra Pound. 1914. Marble, 2' 11 5/8" x 1' 6"x 1' 7 1/4". The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

In 1984, the Museum of Modern Art in New York mounted an exhibition that paired works of art from different non-Western cultures with early twentieth-century works from Europe. For example, the curators placed a moai sculpture (see figure 17.26A for an example of what moai look like in place) from Rapa Nui next to Henri Gaudier-Brzeska’s Hieratic Head of Ezra Pound (figure 17.26B). Called “‘Primitivism’ in 20th Century Art,” the exhibition described how the Western artists, rebelling against conventional methods of representation, had turned to non-Western art for ideas on how to create raw, dramatic, and powerful images.

For the Gaudier-Brzeska example, the catalog explained how the artist had seen a moai in the British Museum and had imitated its form in his sculpture. In fact, the similarities are striking. Both sculptures are vertical, compact, symmetrical, and forward facing. Both are made of neutral-colored stone and contain angular facial features and large brows.

However, the exhibition was controversial as critics charged that the curators had furthered Western imperialism. In the nineteenth century, Europeans had colonized many of these non- Western areas, taking over from native rulers. The Europeans had justified these actions with racist beliefs that the non- Western peoples were not as advanced, and, therefore, were better off being ruled by Western powers. Europeans imagined themselves as saviors who could bring people they believed were “primitive” into a civilized and cultured way of life.

Critics of the exhibition contended that non-Western art was similarly being debased and relegated to mere visual inspiration for European work. Detractors felt that the curators had ignored all aspects of the non-Western works that made them sophisticated—their function, meaning, sacredness, and power. Instead, the curators represented non-Western works as artifacts, inferior to the European fine art that was represented as intellectually advanced. Many people felt such an exhibition was inappropriate, as non-Western art could never be positioned correctly by biased Western curators.

In this exercise, you will play the role of an art critic and write a review of the exhibition, explaining your reaction. You should be able to describe whether you believe it was legitimate to take a formal approach as the curators did in comparing the visual elements of art and principles of design or whether the approach was inappropriate, using the moai/Gaudier-Brzeska example and your knowledge about moai sculpture and Rapa Nui to defend your position.

Why Is a Poem Included on a Literati Painting?

Core Competency: Global and Cultural Awareness

FIGURE 18.39. Shen Zhou. Poet on a Mountaintop reconsidered.

In Shen Zhou’s painting (figure 18.39), the poet stares into four columns of Chinese calligraphy. Written by Shen Zhou when he created the painting, the calligraphy is a focal point on the page. Numerous actual lines on the peak and an implied line following the poet’s gaze lead us to the dark, interesting shapes, set off against the blank background. It is almost as if the entire hillside points boldly to the calligraphy. Obviously, Shen Zhou wanted us to focus on the lines, which are a poem. A translation of the calligraphy is as follows:

White clouds encircle the mountain waist like a sash,

Stone steps mount high into the void where the narrow path leads far.

Alone, leaning on my rustic staff, I gaze idly into the distance.

My longing for the notes of a flute is answered in the murmurings of the gorge.

(Tregear 158.)

Answer the following questions considering the painting and the words of the poem and what you know about literati painting (figure 18.28) and calligraphy (figure 18.21).

• Why might an artist concerned with a conceptual understanding of nature that comes from his own mind have decided to include a poem on his painting? Why would he include calligraphy
• Why do you think Shen Zhou located the poem in the spot on the painting where he did?
• What might the words of the poem tell you about Shen Zhou’s character and who he was as an individual?
• Considering each line of the poem individually, how well does it illustrate what you see in the painting?
• Why do you think Shen Zhou chose to focus on clouds, a path, the distance, and a flute in his poem, when his painting also depicts other things such as trees and the temple?
• How individualized is the depiction of the poet? How descriptive are the brushstrokes that Shen Zhou used to create the poet? Can you see any of the poet’s individualized features?
• Who do you think Shen Zhou represented in the painting as the poet? Why do you think the poet is this person?

Why Is Lewis’s Work Both Neoclassical and Realist?

Core Competency: Critical Thinking

FIGURE 19.38. Edmonia Lewis. Forever Free. 1867. Marble, 3’ 5 ¼” × 1’ 10” × 1’ 5”. Howard University Art Gallery, Washington, DC.

While textbooks often show the work of artists who are exemplary models of a movement, not all artists fit neatly into one style. Such is the case with Edmonia Lewis, an American artist who worked in Italy in the nineteenth century. Her sculpture Forever Free (figure 19.38) can be classified as both Neoclassical and Realist.

The title of the work stems from the Emancipation Proclamation, American president Abraham Lincoln’s order that set African American slaves free during the Civil War. Lewis carved a white marble sculpture of an African American man and woman, who have just been liberated, reacting to the news of the Proclamation. The male figure raises a wrist with a broken cuff and places his foot on a ball and chain, while the female figure still retains shackles on her ankles. Both gaze upward to a higher source, as if to give thanks for their freedom.

After considering the general characteristics of Neoclassical and Realist works and looking back at examples in Chapter 19 of works from both styles, explain:

• What characteristics make the work Neoclassical?
• What characteristics make the work Realist?

Lewis was a female artist of mixed African American and Native American ancestry. Knowing what you do about the lives of other female and African American artists from this period including Rosa Bonheur (figure 19.23) and Henry Ossawa Tanner (figure 19.22) and after considering the general goals described in Chapter 19 of both the Neoclassical and Realist styles, explain:

• Why might Lewis have wanted to draw on the Neoclassical style in her depiction? What message might she have been trying to send in adapting the Neoclassical style?
• Why might Lewis have wanted to draw on the Realist style in her depiction? What message might she have been trying to send in adapting the Realist style?

Why Should Your College Acquire a Difficult Work?

Core Competency: Social Responsibility and Ethics

FIGURE 20.48. Agnes Martin. Leaf. 1965. Acrylic and graphite on canvas, 6’ 1/16” × 6’ 1/8”. Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas.

Your university has received a donation to purchase art to hang in the art building. The director of the college gallery has made recommendations to the board of trustees as to what works should be acquired. However, the board would like to hear student opinions. Your art teacher has asked you to present to the board regarding a painting by Minimalist Agnes Martin. Like Judd (figure 20.41), Martin, a Canadian-born American artist, created a number of similar works. Her paintings consist of plain backgrounds on which she drew a grid of evenly spaced, straight lines in pencil. An example is shown in figure 20.48.

Prepare a five-minute presentation that you would give to the board explaining why the college should purchase a Martin painting. You must support the purchase. To prepare, you will be answering the following questions in the subsequent assignment:

• What was the Minimalist movement?
• How does Martin fit within the Minimalist movement?
• Why would it be a good choice to have a Minimalist work hanging in the art building?
• Why would it be a good choice to feature a work by a woman artist?
• Why would the work be considered art?
• Why would a difficult, provocative work like Martin’s be a good choice for a university environment?

How Might You Analyze a Work of Art in a Museum?

Core Competency: Communication Skills

Pick a local art museum or gallery where you can encounter art in person. Visit the museum or gallery and write about your experience and one work that you see there. Go through these steps:

Find: Your instructor may have a list of local museums or galleries that would be of interest – including one at your school. If not, or in addition, a map of art museums in the United States can be found below:

Plan: Plan for your visit by exploring the museum’s or gallery’s website and find out as much as you can about the museum or gallery before you visit:

• The location, directions, and hours/days the museum/gallery is open
• What is and isn’t allowed in the galleries
• What the museum/gallery specializes in
• How art is organized in the galleries
• Important works that are on display and temporary exhibitions currently being shown

Prepare: Prepare the following items to bring with you to the museum or gallery:

• The information you gathered when planning for your visit
• Your textbook for reference
• Several sheets of plain, unlined paper or a mobile device with a drawing app to use for drawings
• Lined paper or a mobile device for taking notes
• Pencils (pens are typically not allowed in museums or galleries), if you decide to bring paper for the drawings and taking notes
• A device for taking pictures with flash turned off (a flash is typically not allowed)
• Student ID (often there is a discount for student admission)

Visit: Visit the museum or gallery. Once there:

• Get a floor plan (if available) so that you can find your way around and mark works of interest
• Spend some time looking around
• Take notes about your experience in the museum/gallery:
• How is the experience different seeing art in person rather than in a book?
• Do you note any bias in the overall presentation that reinforces stereotypical thinking regarding race, class, or gender? Why or why not?

While at the museum or gallery, pick a work of art that interests you:

• (If allowed) take a picture of it and the label for it, so you will have the photos for later reference
• Sketch the work of art for a few minutes (if you have picked a three-dimensional work, sketch the work from different angles). Don’t worry about the quality of your drawing(s). Just put down what you see. As you will recall from Chapter 5, drawing helps us see better and will prepare you for taking notes on the work.
• Then, take detailed notes about the work you have chosen:
• What is the title, artist’s name, and nationality (if known), date the work was created, and size of the work?
• What is the purpose of the work (religion, politics and the social order, record, decoration, expression, or community and the environment)? Why do you think the work has this purpose?
• What is the subject matter of the work?
• Is the work representational, abstract, or nonrepresentational (if applicable)? How do you know it is this type of art?
• What four visual elements of art do you think are important in the work (line, shape or mass, texture, light, color, space, or time)? Describe them and be sure to be thorough. For example, don’t just say that a work has texture; explain the character of the texture and whether the texture is actual or simulated.
• What four principles of design do you think are important in the work (unity and variety, balance, emphasis and subordination, scale, proportion, or rhythm)?
• Describe them and be sure to be thorough. For example, don’t just say that a work has balance; explain how the artist created actual (if applicable) and visual weight in the work; whether the work has symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial balance; and how you know it has this kind of balance.
• What medium was used to create the work (the technique and material)? What is the characteristic look of the medium?
• What is the style of the work or the culture that created the work? What is the characteristic appearance of the work that makes it typical of this style or culture? Why might artists from this culture have created works that look like this? Be sure to consider the date of the work and nationality of the artist.
• What do you think is the meaning of the work? Why do you think the work has this message based on the purpose, subject matter, form, medium, and style?

Write: Once you are back home, write a four-page paper about your experience and your work of art. The paper should consider each topic about which you took notes. You will submit this paper to complete the assignment.