Chapter 20
Essay Question #1: 10 points
Describe the art movement Fauvism. Why were they named that? Who were significant artists that belonged to the Fauves. What set them apart from the artists before them? Where did their ideas come from? Who were their influences?
Fauvism was a liberal movement where artists experimented on their color and style choices, by choosing vivid and brightest colors to being out art in its purest form. The term fauvism (coined in 1905 by Louis Vauxcelles) arose from the word “fauves” meaning “wild beasts”, because of its boldness and the shocking reaction it evoked among the public .Artists Henry Matisse and André Derain pioneered this movement. Other artists who contributed to fauvism were as Maurice de Vlaminck, Albert Marquet, Georges Rouault and Georges Braque.
Essay Question #2: 20 points
Describe in detail the work Guernica. What do you see? What are recognizable (although perhaps abstracted) images you see. Why did Picasso create this painting? Explain the subject matter of Guernica. How did Picasso use his huge mural to express the "brutality and darkness" of war. What was the public response, critical response?
Guernica is one of the famous works by the renowned artist Pablo Picasso. It was a powerful political statement by Picasso as a reaction to the German bombing of a Spanish village, Guernica. It is an oil painting on canvas, a mural representing Picasso’s work on Cubism. It captures the events of the massacre in gruesome detail, with several living or already dead victims lying about. Humans and animals are assembled together at the background in the form of hard and broken edged geometric shapes, with pain and agony clearly expressed on each face. Picasso painted this as a protest against the “brutality and darkness” of the time, by restricting himself to somber shades of black, grey and white. The painting had a sensational effect on the public, and continues to have even now, and is said to have impacted Picasso himself more than anyone.
Essay Question #3 (10 Points)
Explain Die Brucke. Where was it founded? Why were they named Die Brucke? How long did the movement last? Who were significant artists of this group? Name a significant work by the artist and describe it in detail, as well as what the work was about (content).
Die Brucke was a movement that represented the bridging of several styles of artwork where the subject matter ranged from vividly colored landscapes to violent event portraits. It was founded in Dresden, and was named so because it was a bridging of several disparate styles. The movement lasted from 1905 to 1913. Artists – K. Schmidt-Rottluff, E.L. Kirchner and E. Heckel and Emil Nolde. One expressionist painting by Nolde is “Dancing around the Golden Calf”, where clashing colors are applied in a frenzied manner and using lavish brush strokes. It represents the culture of Israelites worshiping an idol, with the graphics well highlighted.
Essay Question #4 (10 Points)
What was Der Blaue Reiter? How did it get the name? What did the name mean? Where was it founded? How long did the movement last? Who were significant artists of this group? Name a significant work by the artist and describe it in detail, as well as what the work was about (content).
Der Blaue Reiter was a group of artists whose paintings were abstract and without objects, because they believed that to evoke emotions, a combination of abstract themes and pure colors was required. The name Der Blaue Reiter, meaning ‘The Blue Raider’, was taken from a painting called ‘Der Blaue Reiter’ by Wassily Kandinsky, who was a major part of the movement. ‘Sketch I for Composition’ was one of Kandinsky’s works, wherein he experimented with bold lines, shapes and colors, which were a subject matter within themselves. These splashes and lines haphazardly cross each in no particular direction, with the pictorial flow free and independent.
Chapter 21
Essay Question #4 (15 points)
Define the term abstract in relation to art.What is Abstract Expressionism? Abstract Expressionism is characterized by what type of execution? What type of brushstrokes? Is the imagery realistic? If not, then what is the imagery like? How is color used? What significant artists belonged to the Abstract Expressionism movement?
Abstract art is a sort of nonobjective art that does not portray any specific imagery and consists of spontaneous brushstrokes. Abstract Expressionism is a movement in America, more specifically in New York after World War II. This form of art makes use of abstraction in order to convey strong emotional content. It also makes use of exaggerated and swaying brush strokes to form lines, colors and texture in a nonlinear fashion. The imagery was nonobjective and majorly abstract. The colors used were bold, expressive and of an opaque texture – large amounts of flat, solid colors spread uninterrupted across the surface of the canvas. Jackson Pollock , Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Barnett Newman were some of the significant artists who belonged to this movement.
Essay Question #5: (10 points)
Who was Jackson Pollock? Why is his style of art so significant in the development of art? Explain his process. How did psychoanalysis relate to his work? Who was Lee Krasner?
Jackson Pollock was a renowned artist who was part of Abstract Expressionist movement. He is known for ‘action painting’, wherein he walks on the canvas spreading colors and paint seemingly uncontrollably. Elements that made his style of work unique were the occurrence of unconscious ideas and accidents on his large canvas. Pollock’s paintings were works of pure active art, characterized by the splattering, brushing and dripping of paints. While in psychoanalysis, it was found out that Pollock believed that the inner workings of the mind and spontaneity played a strong role in the creation of art. Lee Krasner was also a painter, a female artist of Abstract Expressionism and Jackson Pollock’s wife.
Chapter 22
Essay Question #6 (10 points)
Explain how Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons' works often aim to reconcile "high art" and "low culture." Also, make a case as to whether or not they should be considered Pop artists. What is your opinion? Why do you believe what you do about it?
Takashi Murakami has made an attempt to connect to art culture by adopting pop artist Andy Warhol’s methods. Murakami promotes his art through various low culture techniques like consumer imagery – this includes the selling of T-Shirts, key chains and handbags. He also experimented with large eyed cartoons called anime. Jeff Koons also uses similar techniques and questions the separation of high art and low culture. He combines merchandising products and major museums by manipulating cheaply manufactured products. His works include vinyl paintings, wood art and balloon animals. Both artists’ methods are ingenuous and connect with the general public instead of just major artists and the art world. This kind of artwork helps the public understand the significance and the beauty of art, and may it be in the form of an oil canvas or stainless steel replicas of toys, the important message is – art is art.
Essay Question #7 (15 points)
Discuss the iconography of Damien Hirst's For the Love of God. What do you think of the work? Do you think it is worth $100 million?
Damien Hirst’s iconography ‘For the Love of God’ comprises of a platinum cast life sized human skull, encrusted with 8,601 diamonds. It has the original skull teeth. Representing the human brain is a pink diamond in the cranium of the skull, of 52.4 carat. Hirst’s interest in mortality and value has given rise to this artwork and is widely recognized. It is worth 100$ million, which is kind of grossly overpriced, considering that the overall artwork cost 23.6$ million to manufacture. While it is a beautiful piece of work, it only shows that the world of art has turned into a money making extravaganza.
Essay Question #8 (10 points)
The art produced by the people of the Caribbean and Latin America tends to reflect a variety of themes. Name a minimum of three themes and name an example of each. Name artist and describe the work.
Some of the themes that characterize artwork by Caribbean and Latin Americans are “Environment”, “People” and “Expression”.
Environment: Example - Creole Dance by Pedro Figari. Creole Dance consists of a painting of a rural environment of the La Plata region in Uruguay. The figures are painted delicately and portray a sense of movement due to the presence of colonial buildings in the background.
People: Example - The Presidential Family by Fernando Botero. The portrait is oil on canvas painting depicting the Latin America’s society and government. It is a satirist representation. In this painting, Botero mocks the establishment and their overbearing positions in the society.
Expression: Example – Untitled by Jean Michel Basquiat. It is oilstick on paper painting which represents the childhood experiences of the artist. The painting comprises the streets of New York with its numerous signs and symbols portraying different meanings.
