ArtArtA Product of Human A Product of Human 

ExperienceExperience

What is Art?What is Art?1.1. Art is the creativity of man as distinguished Art is the creativity of man as distinguished

from the world of naturefrom the world of nature

2.2. Art distills and preserves human experience – Art distills and preserves human experience – whether it is beautiful or ugly, pleasurable or whether it is beautiful or ugly, pleasurable or painful, even humorous and absurdpainful, even humorous and absurd

What is the Function of Art?What is the Function of Art?1.1. To be pleasing to the eyeTo be pleasing to the eye

2.2. To help us understand our lives by bringing To help us understand our lives by bringing order to the chaos of human experienceorder to the chaos of human experience

3.3. To enrich our lives by clarifying, intensifying To enrich our lives by clarifying, intensifying or otherwise enlarging our experience of lifeor otherwise enlarging our experience of life

4.4. Art is a witness to the nature of the times and Art is a witness to the nature of the times and places that produced itplaces that produced it

a)a) Art is a record describing how things, places and Art is a record describing how things, places and people have really lookedpeople have really looked

b)b) Art purifies and presents the essence of the faith or Art purifies and presents the essence of the faith or philosophy by which people of that time lived, or philosophy by which people of that time lived, or tried to livetried to live

A Mirror of SocietyA Mirror of Society

Example #1:  Example #1:  The ParthenonThe Parthenon

A work of art that is perfectly A work of art that is perfectly ordered, with no confusion ordered, with no confusion or uglinessor ugliness

Represents harmony and Represents harmony and clarityclarity

Clearly depicts the ancient Clearly depicts the ancient Greek rationality and Greek rationality and celebration of beautycelebration of beauty

Example #2: Example #2: Gothic CathedralsGothic Cathedrals

• Medieval structures that Medieval structures that rose into the heavens rose into the heavens and seemed built of and seemed built of lightlight

• By constructing vaults By constructing vaults to create a space that to create a space that was the symbol of God, was the symbol of God, they represent the Age they represent the Age of Faithof Faith

Elements of ArtElements of Art color color formform lineline shapeshape spacespace texturetexture value.value.

ColorColor How does color How does color

affect the affect the impression that a impression that a work of art makes work of art makes on a viewer?on a viewer?

Sir Isaac Newton used a prism to divide white light into the

spectrum of colors

A Rose, Thomas Anshutz, 1907

Saida, Kees van Dongen, c. 1913

The Tragedy, Pablo Picasso, 1903

Pianist and Checkers Players, Henri Matisse, 1924

Harlem Street, William H. Johnson, 1941

CompositionCompositionHow the How the different different elements of an elements of an artistic work artistic work relate to one relate to one another to another to create a create a coherent whole coherent whole and produce and produce expressive expressive contentcontent

The Raft of Medusa, The Raft of Medusa, GericaultGericault

Adoration of the Magi, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482

Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David, 1787

Snow Shoe Dance – Ojibway, George Catlin, 1869

LineLine How does How does

compositional line compositional line guide a viewer’s guide a viewer’s eyes around a eyes around a painting, or painting, or communicate communicate information or information or emotional contentemotional content

The Choir and North Ambulatory of the Church of Saint Bavo, Haarlem, Pieter Jansz. Saenredam,1634

A Storm on a Mediterranean Coast, Claude-Joseph Vernet, 1767

Oedipus Cursing his son, Polynices, Henry Fusili, 1786

Haying, Grant Woods, 1939

Function of Art in WartimeFunction of Art in Wartime

Depicting war – Depicting war – pictorial record, pictorial record, how war shapes how war shapes lives (explore the lives (explore the visual and sensory visual and sensory dimensions of war)dimensions of war)

Propaganda – Propaganda – promoting or promoting or glorifying warglorifying war

Protest – depicting Protest – depicting violence and violence and suffering of war, suffering of war, questioning questioning necessity of warnecessity of war