AP Art History PowerPoint Project

by Jake Schrass

l_whistler_arrangement in black_schrass

Alpha/#key below:l=12

100 WELL KNOWNWORKS OF ART

Interpreted UsingThe

Feldman Model of Formal Analysis

#12 Whistler Arrangement in Black and Grey No. 1

Feldman’s Model of Art CriticismFrom the work of Edmund Burke Feldman,

During the late 1960’s and early 70’s1. Description-

List the visual qualities of the work that are obvious and immediate.“What do you see in the artwork”?

Include content and subject matter in representational works- Include abstract elements in nonrepresentational pieces.

2. Analysis-Focus on the formal aspects of elements of art, principles of design.

“How does the artist create a center of interest? How does the use of color impact the painting?”

3. Interpretation-Propose ideas for possible meaning based on evidence.

“What was the artist trying to communicate”?

4. Judgment-Discuss the overall strengths/success/merit of the work.

How and why has this work achieved cultural value?

James Abbot McNeill Whistler Arrangement in Black and Grey No. 1, 1872,Realism Movement, paintingParis, France

1.DESCRIPTIONa. paintingb. paint on canvasc. 56.8 inches by 63.9 inchesd. line, shape, value, texture, form: these elements make the work look flat and depressinge. horizontal, asymmetricalf. soft, variable, irregular, faint, contourg. the lines create organic shapes like the woman and the curtain and hard rectangles like the stool h. medium, overlapping, scaled downi. gray scale, almost monochromaticj. simulated texture on the wall and in the fabrics, made to look as if it were realk. 1872, realism

2.ANALYSISa. Iconographic elements: historical event (narrative), allegory, mythology, other.b. the painter emphasized the monochromatic colors and the soft lines highlight the calm featured in the work.c. stable, unified, harmonious, geometric, varied, horizontal oriented, flatd. no movement, no rhythm, varied forms, and flat colors create unity in the worke. contrasty, shadowy, cool, symbolic, sad, calmf. shallow, naturalistic, flat, realg. static composition because the woman never moves from her pose of looking of beyond the frame of the pictureh. Technique as influenced by the choice of medium:i. a calm, partly sad, almost like acceptance feeling is created by the work

3. Interpretationa. The artist said “what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait” and that the painting is only an “arrangement” of colors.b. This art creates a feeling of motherly acceptance and has a calming effect on the viewer.c. The artist uses textures to represent the world, but he uses colors to make the world seem simple.d. (quotes and sources or a link to your essay)

4. Judgmenta. · This work is famous because it was made by an

American artist, and it has been featured on TV, exposing it to the world.

b. · This work uses complex patterns created with a great technique with the paintbrush to create feelings in the viewer. This skill, and its exposure add value to the piece.

c. · The skill the artist used and the prowess of the artist relate to the value of this work.

d. · This work is worth studying because it created controversy through the artist’s description of what it was, compared to the meaning the painting conveys. The fact that it conveys such a clear meaning, yet allows people to argue over the meaning of the work make it popular in the world.

e. e. Context with AP Exam: Link to AP Exam Q&A

Whistler Article from BritannicaWhistler Bio

Musée d’ OrsaySmart History Whistler

Compare and Contrast

America in the Gilded AgeSummary of Gilded Age

• American artists struggled to create a style not dependent on European styling.

• Art boomed in America in this time because Americans had the money and the time to enjoy art.

• Artists like John Singer Sargent, Robert Mills, Henry Merwin Shrady, and Whistler made art Gilded Age art.

• Art mirrored and influenced the new industrial society in America.

• Newspapers and magazines began reporting on artists, so artists became popular public figures.

Interesting Facts About Artist• Whistler was thrown out of west point

after refusing to cut his hair.• He said “As music is the poetry of

sound, so is art the poetry of sight.”• All of his 1870’s works were titled with

musical terms (arrangement, nocturne, symphony etc.)

• He was born in America, but, after leaving for Europe, he never returned to his homeland. Whistler went to court over this painting when he

valued it highly. Critics said “A coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face”. Whistler won the trial, but didn’t win very much money from it.

References

• http://arthistoryap.pbworks.com/w/page/70267480/Resources-Word%20Documents•http://quizlet.com/28888032/the-controversies-of-james-whistler-and-his-art-flash-cards/