An

Introduction
to Art
WHAT IS ART?
• encompasses a host of disciplines
• reflects and belongs to the period
and culture from which it is
spawned
DEFINITIONS OF ART
• Classical Meaning:
–"ars" (Latin) meaning "skill" or
"craft“
–"the product of a body of
knowledge, most often using a
set of skills.
DEFINITIONS OF ART
• Post-Renaissance Meaning:
–mid-18th century
–technical skills + "aesthetic"
component ("beautiful“)
–+ "utilitarianism" (functionality or
usefulness) for
FINE ART (art
for art’s sake)
DEFINITIONS OF ART
• Early 20th Century Meaning:
–fine art’s "subjectivity“
–far greater freedom to create art
according to own subjective values
–"art" started to become
"indefinable"
DEFINITIONS OF ART
• Post WWII Meaning:
– more of a commercial product, and loosen
connection with traditions of aestheticism
– even the most mundane items and concepts
became elevated to the status of "art”
• Assemblage
• Installation
• Video
• Performance
• Graffiti
DEFINITIONS OF ART
• Postmodernism's Meaning:
–added intellectual weight
–from artistic skill to the
"meaning" of the work produced
–"how" a work is "experienced"
–avant-garde art
 [WORKING]
DEFINITION OF ART
Art is created when an artist
creates a beautiful object, or
produces a stimulating experience
that is considered by his audience
to have artistic merit.
 [WORKING]
DEFINITION OF ART
• "artist"
–to allow for the context of the work
• "beautiful"
–to reflect the need for some
"aesthetic" value
 [WORKING]
DEFINITION OF ART
• "that is considered by his audience
to have artistic merit"
–to reflect the need for some basic
acceptance of the artist's efforts
 MORE ON ART
• Art may be undefinable
but has definite
impact…one reason to
support public art
• Very essence of
creativity = art cannot
be defined
 MORE ON ART
• Any suggestion will quickly
become out-of-date and
thus pointless, even
counter-productive
• Person's attitude to art
says more about his or
her personal values, than
the art
CLASSIFICATIONS
1. Fine Art
–created primarily for
aesthetic reasons
('art for art's sake') rather
than for commercial or
functional use
–uplifting, life-enhancing qualities
–drawing, painting, printmaking,
sculpture, calligraphy (Chinese)
CLASSIFICATIONS
2. Visual Art
–fine arts + new media +
contemporary forms of
expression
–assemblage, collage,
conceptual, installation,
photography, video, animation,
environmental land art
CLASSIFICATIONS
3. Plastic Art
–three-dimensional works
molded, shaped, or
manipulated
–clay, plaster, stone,
metals, wood sculpture,
origami, junk art
CLASSIFICATIONS
4. Decorative Art
–functional but ornamental art
–glass, clay, wood, metal,
textile fabric
–jewelry, mosaic, ceramics,
furniture, furnishings,
stained glass, tapestry art
CLASSIFICATIONS
5. Performance Art
–public performance
–theatre, opera, music,
ballet, mime, face or
body painting, happenings
CLASSIFICATIONS
6. Applied Art
–application of aesthetic designs to
everyday functional objects
–creates utilitarian items
using aesthetic principles in
their design
–folk art, architecture,
computer art, photography,
industrial design, graphic design,
fashion design, interior design
WHAT’S THE POINT?
“Art is a waste of time”
–the root of all design (which is the
foundation of applied art) is fine art
–ever since Homo Sapiens developed the
facility of contemplation, he has
expressed his thoughts in pictorial form
WHAT’S THE POINT?
To create and to
appreciate art is
to be human.
That's the point.
GOOD ART/BAD ART
• not being able to define art doesn't
mean that all artworks are good
• professional artists need public
acceptance
• the general public is unlikely to stand
by and allow bad art to become
commonplace
 COMPLICATED ART
• jargon is no more than
necessary shorthand
• it is mostly written for other
'experts'
 ABSTRACT ART
• Up until the late 19th Century, art was
representational and naturalistic
– Impressionism then Cubism =rejecting notion
of depth or perspective and birthed abstract
art
– Futurism, De Stijl, Dada, Constructivism,
Surrealism, Neo-Plasticism, Abstract
Expressionism, etc
 ABSTRACT ART
• Up until the late 19th Century, art was
representational and naturalistic
– different people like different things
– tend to contain an implicit message or follow
a particular theory
– less likeable and less beautiful to people but
doesn't mean can't be outstanding works of
art
ELEMENTS OF ART
1. Color
2. Line
3. Shape
4. Form
5. Texture
 COLOR
WHAT WE SEE BECAUSE
OF REFLECTED LIGHT
 CLAUD MONET
• French
• paints same subject over and over at
different times of day and in
different types of weather
• Rouen cathedral in France (30 times)
 CLAUD MONET
• Not about the building but about the
surrounding atmosphere
• Rouen Cathedral used to record time
(morning or late afternoon) and
weather (sunlight or mist)
West facade of
Rouen Cathedral
Clarence Ward
Archive
Department of
Image Collections
National Gallery
of Art, Library,
Washington, DC
 CLAUD MONET
• Can you tell from the shadows in the
doorways which painting might have
been done in the morning? afternoon?
(Hint: sun rises in the east)
• How do the colors change in sunlight,
fog, mist?
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral,
Effects of Sunlight,
Sunset, 1892
oil on canvas
© Musee Marmottan,
Paris, France /
Giraudon / The
Bridgeman Art Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral,
Effects of Sunlight,
Sunset, 1892
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral, the
west portal, dull
weather, 1894
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral,
evening, harmony in
brown, 1894
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral at
Sunset, 1894
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral,
Harmony in White,
Morning Light, 1894
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral, Blue
Harmony, Morning
Sunlight, 1894
oil on canvas
© Musee
Marmottan, Paris,
France / Giraudon /
The Bridgeman Art
Library
 HENRI MATISSE
• 1905
• heightened color was used to express a
strong emotional response to nature
• painters = "fauves" = wild beasts
 HENRI MATISSE
• Open Window, Collioure
–freshness
–strength of tones
–subtle contrasts
–sense of serenity and radiance
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
Open Window,
Collioure, 1905
oil on canvas, 55.3
x 46 cm (21 3/4 x
18 1/8 in.)
National Gallery
of Art, Collection
of Mr. and Mrs.
John Hay Whitney
 HENRI MATISSE
• Would you rather go outdoors/sailing
or remain in your cool room admiring
the view?
• Look at the colors. How are they
different from what you see in
nature?
 HENRI MATISSE
• How big do you think this painting is?
 HENRI MATISSE
• How big do you think this painting is?

21 3/4" x 18 1/8”
WASSILY KANDINSKI
• Odessa, Russia
• cellist and pianist
• connected art and music believing
colors and shapes affects our mood
• Improvisation 31
Wassily Kandinsky
Russian, 1866–1944
Improvisation 31,
1913
oil on canvas, 140.7
x 119.7 cm (55 3/8 x
47 1/8 in.)
National Gallery of
Art, Ailsa Mellon
Bruce Fund
WASSILY KANDINSKI
• What do the colors in the painting
make you feel? Happy? Sad? Scared?
• What do you think is happening in this
painting?
Wassily Kandinsky
Russian, 1866–1944
Improvisation 31
(Sea Battle),1913
oil on canvas, 140.7
x 119.7 cm (55 3/8 x
47 1/8 in.)
National Gallery of
Art, Ailsa Mellon
Bruce Fund
WASSILY KANDINSKI
• Can you find the two tall-masted ships
locked in combat?
• Can you spot any canon fire?
• What is the sea like that day? The
weather?
 LINE
A MARK MADE USING
A DRAWING TOOL OR BRUSH
 LINES
• many types
–Thick, thin
–Horizontal, vertical
–Zigzag, diagonal, curly, curved, spiral
• often very expressive
Frank Stella
American, born 1936
Jarama II, 1982
mixed media on
etched magnesium,
319.9 x 253.9 x 62.8
cm (125 15/16 x 99
15/16 x 24 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of
Art, Gift of Lila
Acheson Wallace
 FRANK STELLA
• Jarama II
–Fan of professional racing
–Used winding, curving strips of metal
painted in bright, dynamic colors to
forcefully carry motion and excitement
of professional racing
–based on an automobile racetrack
outside Madrid, Spain
 Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923–1997
Leo Castelli Gallery (publisher)
Chiron Press (printer)
Brushstroke, 1965
color screenprint on heavy,
white wove paper, 58.4 x 73.6 cm
(23 x 29 in.)
Corlett/Fine 1994, Vol. II, no. 5
National Gallery of Art, Gift of
Roy and Dorothy Lichtenstein

What type of line is this?

(1) Calm, serious, quiet
OR
(2) Energetic, fun, dynamic
 Charles Sheeler
American, 1883–1965
Classic Landscape, 1931
oil on canvas, 63.5 x 81.9
cm (25 x 32 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art,
Collection of Barney A.
Ebsworth

What type of line is this?

(1) Solid, serious, organized, planned
OR
(2) Silly, energetic, dynamic, in motion, chaotic
 Joan Miro
Spanish, 1893–1983
The Farm, 1921–1922
oil on canvas, 123.8 x
141.3 x 3.3 cm (48 3/4 x
55 5/8 x 1 5/16 in.)
National Gallery of Art,
Gift of Mary Hemingway

What type of line is this?

(1) Busy, topsy turvy, active
OR
(2) Serious, calm, quiet
 Morris Louis
American, 1912–1962
Beta Kappa, 1961
acrylic on canvas, 262.3 x
439.4 cm (103 1/4 x 173
in.)
National Gallery of Art,
Gift of Marcella Louis
Brenner

What type of line is this?

(1) In motion, festive, fun
OR
(2) Calm, sleepy, still
 SHAPE
A FLAT AREA SURROUNDED BY
EDGES OR AN OUTLINE
 SHAPE
• geometric shapes
–often found in man-made things
–squares, rectangles, triangles
• biomorphic shapes
–From life / life form
–often rounded, irregular
 HENRI MATISSE
• developed paper cut-out art:
"Beasts of the Sea"
• cutting colored papers
• arranging them in designs
 HENRI MATISSE
"Instead of drawing an outline and filling
in the color...
I am drawing directly in color."
(drawing with scissors)
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
Beasts of the Sea, 1950
paper collage on canvas,
295.5 x 154 cm (116 5/16 x
60 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art,
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Piet Mondrian
Dutch, 1872–1944
Tableau No. IV; Lozenge
Composition with Red, Gray, Blue,
Yellow, and Black, c. 1924/1925
oil on canvas, 142.8 x 142.3 cm (56
1/4 x 56 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift of
Herbert and Nannette Rothschild

What kind of shapes did the

artist use?
1. Geometric
2. Biomorphic
Piet Mondrian
Dutch, 1872–1944
Tableau No. IV; Lozenge
Composition with Red, Gray, Blue,
Yellow, and Black, c. 1924/1925
oil on canvas, 142.8 x 142.3 cm (56
1/4 x 56 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift of
Herbert and Nannette Rothschild

What kind of shapes did the

artist use?
1. triangles, a square, and
rectangles
2. none
Edward Steichen
American, 1879–1973
Le Tournesol (The Sunflower), c.
1920
tempera and oil on canvas, 92.1
x 81.9 cm (36 1/4 x 32 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift
of the Collectors Committee

What kind of shapes did the

artist use?
1. Geometric
2. Biomorphic
Edward Steichen
American, 1879–1973
Le Tournesol (The Sunflower), c.
1920
tempera and oil on canvas, 92.1
x 81.9 cm (36 1/4 x 32 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift
of the Collectors Committee

What kind of shapes did the

artist use?
1. Mostly used
2. the big green shape (the
vase) seems like it’s
mostly found in nature
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853–1890
Roses, 1890
oil on canvas, 71 x 90 cm (27
15/16 x 35 7/16 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift
of Pamela Harriman in memory
of W. Averell Harriman

What kind of shapes did the

artist use?
1. Geometric
2. Biomorphic
 Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853–1890
Roses, 1890
oil on canvas, 71 x 90 cm (27
15/16 x 35 7/16 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift
of Pamela Harriman in memory
of W. Averell Harriman

What kind of shapes did the artist

use?
1. none
2. yes, makes sense that painting
flowers uses biomorphic as these
are "from life"
 FORM
SHAPES IN THREE-DIMENSIONS
 FORM
• geometric or biomorphic shapes
–circle -> sphere
–square -> cube
–rectangle -> rectangular prism
–triangle -> pyramid
ALEXANDER CALDER
• engineer
–1920s using wire
–portrait of friends, depictions of
animals or circus characters
–invented mobiles (sculptures that
moved) in 1930s
 Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923–1997
House I, model 1996, fabricated 1998
fabricated and painted aluminum, 292.1 x 447 x 132.1 cm (115 x 176 x 52 in.),
gross weight: 1900 lb.
National Gallery of Art, Gift of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation
 Sol LeWitt
American, 1928–2007
Four-Sided Pyramid, first installation 1997, fabricated 1999
concrete blocks and mortar, 458.2 x 1012.2 x 970.9 cm (180 3/8 x 398 1/2 x
382 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift of the Donald Fisher Family
 Martin Puryear
American, born 1941
Lever No. 3, 1989
carved and painted wood, 214.6 x 411.5 x 33 cm (84 1/2 x 162 x 13 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift of the Collectors Committee
 FORM
• Are the forms geometric or
biomorphic or both?
• What do you think the sculpture is
made of? (metal, stone, wood, plastic,
clay, marble, etc.)
 FORM
• Do you think it's made out of a single
piece or multiple ones? If multiple, how
would you attach them together?
• If the work is abstract, what does the
sculpture remind you of? Something
man-made or in nature?
 FORM
• #3: Martin Puryear's Lever No. 3 has
laminated strips of pine which are
planed, sanded, and painted black. the
bare wood shows through giving the
piece a handmade look. Puryear studied
woodworking techniques.
 TEXTURE
THE LOOK AND FEEL
OF A SURFACE
 TEXTURE
• Some ways to create texture:
–brush paint on in watery strokes and
thick drips
–put paint down in short, fat dabs and
long, sleek strokes
–twirl brushes to make circles and curls
 TEXTURE
• Some ways to create texture:
–apply paint in thick layers that stick out
from the canvas
–put different colors on top of each
other
–mix in sand, dirt, or other materials into
the paint
 TEXTURE
• Some ways to create texture:
–add white highlights to make things look
shiny
–scratch through paint to show colors
underneath
 Chuck Close
American, born 1940
Fanny/Fingerpainting, 1985
oil on canvas, 259.1 x 213.4 x 6.3 cm (102 x 84 x 2 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Gift of Lila Acheson Wallace
Leonardo da Vinci
Italian, 1452–1519
Ginevra de' Benci
[obverse], c.
1474/1478
oil on panel, 38.1 x
37 cm (15 x 14
9/16 in.)
(thickness of
original panel): 1.1
cm (7/16 in.)
National Gallery
of Art, Ailsa
Mellon Bruce Fund
 HOMEWORK:
• Color (1)
–Choose a time and weather and recolor
the image:
http://tinyurl.com/humaartek1
 HOMEWORK:
• Line (2)
–Choose any activity. Create an
artwork that reflects the
movement of that activity.
• watching ballet = soft, thin, wavy lines
in pastel colors
• jumping rope = thick, zigzag lines in
bold hues
 HOMEWORK:
• Shape (3)
–Think of a memorable experience. Create
your own paper cut-out art by cutting
pieces of colored papers to recreate the
experience.
–These cut-outs could be objects from
the experience or emotions, etc.
 HOMEWORK:
• Texture (4)
–Draw the outline of any
object/person/animal in four copies.
Create four different textures per
object by filling them in using various
media.