art 110 review ch 1.5

Art 110review ch 1.5

Chapter 1.5

Time and Motion

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Introduction

• Time and motion are closely linked elements in art

• Most of the traditional art media are inherently motionless and timeless

• Artists who work in static media have found imaginative ways to indicate the passage of time and the appearance of motion

• New technology and media have evolved that allow artists to capture and express time and motion

Time

• Since events necessarily take place over time, any artwork that deals with events must show how time goes by

• Artists find ways to depict the passage of time and to remind us of its influence on our lives

The Passage of Time

• Artists often seek to tell a story

1.95 Workshop of the Master of Osservanza (Sano di Pietro?), The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul, c. 1430–35. Tempera on panel, 18½ x 13¼”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Workshop of the Master of Osservanza (Sano di Pietro?),

The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul

• Solved the problem of how to tell a story in a single painting by merging a series of episodes into one picture– The story begins in the upper

left-hand corner• St. Anthony sets out across

the desert to seek St. Paul– Next, in the upper right

• St. Anthony encounters a mythical creature called a centaur

– It culminates in the bottom right• The two saints finally meet

and embrace• This linear method is still used by

artists, comic-book writers, and designers who want to tell a story or express the passing of time

1.96 Nancy Holt, Solar Rotary, 1995. Aluminum, concrete, and meteorite, approx. height 20’, approx. diameter 24’.University of South Florida

Nancy Holt, Solar Rotary

• Examines cycles of time in her works

• Many of Holt’s sculptures intertwine the passage of time with the motion of the sun

• Solar Rotary is designed to express meaning from shadows cast throughout the year

• The work features an aluminum sculptural “shadow caster” perched on eight poles high above the center of a circular concrete plaza

• Is oriented so that shadows cast by its central ring encircle notable dates set into the surrounding concrete plaza

The Attributes of Time

• Time-based arts, such as film, embody six basic attributes of time: duration, tempo, intensity, scope, setting, and chronology

1.97 Thomas Edison and W. K. Dickson, Fred Ott’s Sneeze, 1894. Still frames from kinetoscope film. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Thomas Edison and W. K. Dickson, Fred Ott’s Sneeze

• The duration, or length, of this film is 5 seconds

• The tempo, or speed, is 16 frames per second

• The intensity is high because the activity is suddenand strong

• Has a limited scope because it is confined to asimple activity

• The setting is Thomas Edison’s studio

• The chronology can be seen in the still frames

Motion

• Motion occurs when an object changes location or position

• Because this process occurs as time passes, motion is directly linked to time

• To communicate motion without actually making anything move, artists can choose to imply time or, alternatively, create the illusion of time

Implied Motion

• Motion is implied when we do not actually see the motion happening, but visual clues tell us that it is a key aspect of the work

1.98 Gianlorenzo Bernini,Apollo and Daphne, 1622–4. Carrara marble, 8’ high. Gallería Borghese, Rome, Italy

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.5 Time and Motion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Gianlorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne

• Illustrates a story from ancient Greek mythology in which the sun god Apollo falls madly in love with the wood nymph Daphne

• As Apollo reaches Daphne, Peneius transforms his daughter into a bay laurel tree

• To convey the action, Bernini uses diagonal lines in the flowing drapery, limbs, and hair

• At the pivotal moment in the story, the scene is suddenly frozen in time

1.99 Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912. Oil on canvas, 35⅜ x 43¼”. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

• Balla paints a series of repeating marks to give the impression that we are seeing motion as it happens

• He paints the dog’s tail in eight or nine different positions to communicate movement

• The composition gives viewers a sense of ongoing forward motion even though the paint on the canvas is perfectly still

Illusion of Motion

• When artists imply motion, we do not actually see it occurring

• Artists can also communicate the idea of motion by creating an illusion of it

• Artists create this illusion through visual tricks that deceive our eyes into believing there is motion astime passes, even though no actual motion occurs

1.100 Jenny Holzer, Untitled (Selections from Truisms, Inflammatory Essays, The Living Series, The Survival Series, Under a Rock, Laments, and Child Text), 1989. Extended helical tricolor LED, electronic display signboard, site-specific dimensions.Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Jenny Holzer, Untitled

• Uses the illusion of motion to enhance her text-based presentations

• Although the text does not actually move, it appears to spiral up the ramped circular atrium of the museum

• Tiny LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are illuminated andthen switched off in an automated sequence

• The intermittent flashing of lights creates an illusion of a scrolling series of letters and words

1.101 Bridget Riley,Cataract 3, 1967. PVA on canvas, 7’3¾” x 7’3¾”. British Council Collection

Bridget Riley, Cataract 3

• During the 1960s, painters experimented with discordant positive–negative relationships

• There is a noticeable sense of movement when we look at Cataract 3

• It appears there is an overall vibrating motion

• Riley understands that the natural oscillation of the eye, combined with the passage of time, makes us feel a sense of motion

Stroboscopic Motion

• When we see two or more repeated images in quick succession, they tend visually to fuse together

1.102 Zoetrope, 19th century. Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Film and Popular Culture, University of Exeter, England

Zoetrope, 19th century

• Stroboscopic motion was used in a zoetrope, in which a series of drawings was placed in a slotted cylinder

• When the cylinder was spun, the viewer could see an image appearing to move

• Inventions like the zoetrope were early forms of animation

1.103 Walt Disney Pictures, frame from Finding Nemo, 2003

Walt Disney Pictures,frame from Finding Nemo

• The movie is compiled from individual frames that were computer-generated using 3-D modeling software

• The animator can make changes to the images and then produce all the individual frames in a sequence that the computer plays in rapid succession

• This succession of images is combined with other scenes and eventually committed to film or digital media

1.104 Still from Double Indemnity, Billy Wilder, 1944

Still from Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity

• “Movie” is an abbreviation of “moving picture”

• Double Indemnity was one of the first films that used sharply contrasting modeling, angled shadows, and lighting effects to create a sense of emptiness

• The shadows create a sense of tension and foreboding by getting us to focus on each of the couple’s deliberate movements

Actual Motion

• We perceive actual motion when something really changes over time– Performance art is theatrical; the artist’s intention is not to

create an art object, but an experience that can exist only in one place and time in history

• Performance art emerged as a specific form of visual art during the twentieth century

• Joseph Beuys incorporated everyday objects, such as animals, fat, machinery, and sticks into his Actions, a series of self-performed situations in which the artist would interact with these things in a defined space and time

– Kinetic art plays out the passage of time through an art object, usually a sculpture, which moves

1.105 Blue Man Group perform at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 17, 2005

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.5 Time and Motion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Blue Man Group

• From the 1980s the Blue Man Group performed in ways that integrated humor and music for passersby on the streets of New York

• They used sound and mime, relying on bodily movements to communicate ideas without speech

1.106 Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1976. Aluminum and steel, 29’10⅜” x 75’11¾”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Alexander Calder, Untitled

• Kinetic sculpture has evolved during the twentieth century and is a notable example of art that moves

• Alexander Calder invented the mobile

• The mobile relies on air currents to power its movement

• Untitled uses a small motor, powering counterbalanced abstract elements that move independently of each other

• The result is a constantly changing visual form

Time and Motion in Photography

• The work of a photographer is deeply concerned with motion and time

• Photographers move around their subject, choosing the right focus for the shot and putting the camera in the best position to capture the image they seek

• A photograph freezes a moment in time

1.107a–e Dorothea Lange, Destitute Pea Pickers in California. Mother of Seven Children. Age Thirty-two. Nipomo, California, 1936. Images a, c–e: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Image b: Oakland Museum of California

1.107b

1.107f Dorothea Lange,Migrant Mother, 1936. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateway to Art:

Chapter 1.5 Time and Motion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Lange, Migrant MotherTime and Motion in Photography

• In the span of a few minutes, Lange went from showingthe family in the environment in which they lived—a tent—to the intimate portrayal of an individual

• By looking at this series, the process of selectionbecomes clear

• Lange chose specific moments to capture, and fromthose moments she further selected the one she felt most effectively communicated what she thought was most true

– Lange retouched the negative to crop out the hand

• Because this photograph was meant to be an objective portrayal, the change was kept secret at the time, and has since been considered controversial

Natural Processes and the Passage of Time

• Some artists use biology and organic materials to create their artwork

• Organic materials grow and degrade with the passage of time, so work by “bioartists” is always changing

1.108 Adam Zaretsky and Julia Reodica, Workhorse Zoo, 2002. Performance at the Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas

Adam Zaretsky and Julia Reodica,Workhorse Zoo

• Have “grown” and performed works that includeliving things

• The artists’ intention was to draw attention to thepros and cons of animal research

1.109 Ron Lambert, Sublimate (Cloud Cover), 2004. Water, vinyl, humidifiers, steel, aluminum, and acrylic, dimensions variable

Ron Lambert, Sublimate (Cloud Cover)

• He created a large transparent plastic environment in which water endlessly evaporates and condenses

• Shows how the rhythms of nature become a measure of natural time

Conclusion

• Artists have been able to incorporate the passage of time and movement into their works using a variety of modern media

• Through film and video, we can appreciate the motion of life and have come to experience time in new ways

• Television, movies, the Internet, and a multitude of other technologies use movement as an important visual element

• 1. In The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul, by the workshop of the fifteenth-century artist known as the Master of Osservanza, there are five figures. These five figures are

• a. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, and Mohammed

• b. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, a unicorn, and Jesus

• c. St. Anthony, St. Paul (twice), centaur (twice)

• d. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, Pope Martin V

• e. St. Anthony (three times), a centaur, and St. Paul

• 1. In The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul, by the workshop of the fifteenth-century artist known as the Master of Osservanza, there are five figures. These five figures are

• a. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, and Mohammed

• b. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, a unicorn, and Jesus

• c. St. Anthony, St. Paul (twice), centaur (twice)

• d. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, Pope Martin V

• e. St. Anthony (three times), a centaur, and St. Paul

• 2. This attribute of time is a measurement of the speed at which time elapses.

• a. Duration• b. Intensity• c. Scope• d. Tempo• e. Setting

• 2. This attribute of time is a measurement of the speed at which time elapses.

• a. Duration• b. Intensity• c. Scope• d. Tempo• e. Setting

• 3. Bernini’s sculpture Apollo and Daphne implies motion. What kind of motion is being depicted?

• a. An explosion• b. Lovers in an embrace• c. A chase scene• d. A battle scene• e. Cliff diving

• 3. Bernini’s sculpture Apollo and Daphne implies motion. What kind of motion is being depicted?

• a. An explosion• b. Lovers in an embrace• c. A chase scene• d. A battle scene• e. Cliff diving

• 4. The artist Jenny Holzer created an illusion of motion using a spiraling electronic message board to create a piece of art made up of __________ .

• a. pictures• b. words• c. colorful abstractions• d. movies• e. words and pictures

• 4. The artist Jenny Holzer created an illusion of motion using a spiraling electronic message board to create a piece of art made up of __________ .

• a. pictures• b. words• c. colorful abstractions• d. movies• e. words and pictures

• 5. Op Art of the 1960s relied on a physiological effect that creates an illusion of motion. This effect is __________ .

• a. the natural oscillations of the eye

• b. our lack of ability to see some colors

• c. the ability to roll one’s eyes back into one’s head

• d. blinking• e. crying

• 5. Op Art of the 1960s relied on a physiological effect that creates an illusion of motion. This effect is __________ .

• a. the natural oscillations of the eye

• b. our lack of ability to see some colors

• c. the ability to roll one’s eyes back into one’s head

• d. blinking• e. crying

• 6. Moving images created with a zoetrope were early forms of this.

• a. Animation• b. Film noir• c. Implied motion• d. 3-D film• e. Illusion of motion

• 6. Moving images created with a zoetrope were early forms of this.

• a. Animation• b. Film noir• c. Implied motion• d. 3-D film• e. Illusion of motion

• 7. This type of art involves viewing actual motion and the artist’s body in the work.

• a. Movies• b. Performance art• c. Animation• d. Kinetic sculpture• e. Bioart

• 7. This type of art involves viewing actual motion and the artist’s body in the work.

• a. Movies• b. Performance art• c. Animation• d. Kinetic sculpture• e. Bioart

• 8. This object by French artist Marcel Duchamp is considered the first work of kinetic sculpture.

• a. An image of Apollo and Daphne

• b. A suspended mobile• c. A bicycle wheel

mounted on a stool• d. A falling sculpture• e. A Dutch windmill

• 8. This object by French artist Marcel Duchamp is considered the first work of kinetic sculpture.

• a. An image of Apollo and Daphne• b. A suspended mobile• c. A bicycle wheel mounted on a stool• d. A falling sculpture• e. A Dutch windmill

• 9. Dorothea Lange took a series of photos of a family in what kind of living quarters?

• a. A cave• b. A house• c. A tent• d. A mobile home• e. A houseboat

• 9. Dorothea Lange took a series of photos of a family in what kind of living quarters?

• a. A cave• b. A house• c. A tent• d. A mobile home• e. A houseboat

• 10. The artist Adam Zaretsky practices bioart performances to draw attention to __________ .

• a. coal-mining practices• b. atmospheric changes• c. crime• d. animal research• e. mythology

• 10. The artist Adam Zaretsky practices bioart performances to draw attention to __________ .

• a. coal-mining practices• b. atmospheric changes• c. crime• d. animal research• e. mythology