introduction-content analysis
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PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
INTRODUCTION-CONTENT ANALYSIS
The artist uses a visual language to communicate ideas, beliefs,
emotions, and opinions
Content: Subject /theme including point of view, historical
influence, background influences- love interest, politics, etc.
Analysis: Finding meaning and do the formal elements convey
that meaning effectively?
Imitation versus individual style
Learning from the masters more important pre-20th Century
and in the realm of craft
Developing a unique style more important late 19th century
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Content
Content refers to the meaning and the subject of a work
of art
Identifying the subject of an artwork:
Representational (one can identify the subject)
Non-objective (unrecognizable subject matter)
Abstraction-here discerning content and meaning can be
tricky
Equestrian statue of Marcus
Aurelius, c. 175 CE. Bronze,
11’6” high. Musei Capitolini,
Rome, Italy
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
Representational
Recognizable as a man on a horse
Artist tries to create realistic movement and expressions
Much more than that-It is a homage to Greco-Roman ideals,
humanism, intellectual enlightenment and the man himself
José de Rivera, Infinity, 1967. Stainless steel sculpture in front of National Museum of American History,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
José de Rivera, Infinity
Non-objective
Unrecognizable subject matter
Subjective: individual viewer creates his
or her own interpretation
Here the form is more important than the
content-visual appeal and beauty
What are your thoughts
about pure abstraction?
Allan Houser, Reverie, 1981.
Bronze, 25 x 23 x 13”, edition
of 10. Allan Houser Archives
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Allan Houser, Reverie
Has elements of the
representational
Can identify two faces
Size of faces and positioning of
forms suggest mother
and child
Has elements of abstraction
To emphasize, distort or simplify
forms
The degree to which an artwork
is less representational
and moves toward non-objective
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Modes of Analysis
Iconographic-meaning attached to images of a particular
subject-like the clef in music or the fish in Christianity
Biographical
Social-Feminist, cultural, political
Contextual-seen in its roll in history or the life of the artist
or as a reaction to something, etc.
Psychological
Formal (or visual)-meaning the formal visual elements-
color, pattern, motion, shape, line, emphasis, form, etc.
Personal-interpretation/viewpoint of the artist and viewer
Analysis is something we do in our heads as the viewer. One cannot point to a
painting and say, “This is where I see the formal analysis.” Analysis is something we
consider when interpreting the artwork, like when it was made (history and context)
or the mindset of the artist (psychology and biography) or by looking for the formal
(visual) elements while searching for meaning.
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Relates artist’s life and experiences to artwork
Training and education
Time in history
Personal influences-health?, teachers, family life?
Considers gender, race, nationality, and class
Sometimes this analysis should be set aside-the work
should “stand on its own”
Rembrandt The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
This was a socially acceptable even popular event-a
social occasion
Celebrates an age embracing scientific
advancement and knowledge
Rembrandt is only 26, yet is commissioned by this
league for the portrait
He uses the latest anatomy texts to depict the
autopsy as anatomically correct
Magdalena Abakanowicz, 80 Backs 1976-80, burlap and resin
Polish artist who grew up during World War II during the Nazi occupation and then spent 45 years in the
communist Russian regime dominating Poland. Originally a weaver, she worked with the perishable materials that
were available to her at the time given her constraints. Her experience of the living under totalitarian regimes
where the emphasis on the collective is expressed. Here the back are recognizable as human even without
heads. According to the artist, “A human being turned into a crowd lose its human qualities. Among such a great
number, one person is extremely close at the same time terribly distant." Her work often talks about the dignity,
courage, and the will to survive of the individual under a totalitarian government. She's as perishable fibers to
reflect her awareness of human vulnerability and fragility in the face of such crushing control.
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Contextual Analysis
Interprets artwork based on time and place in which it
was made
Considers historical, religious, political, economic, and
social factors
Harold Lloyd, “Safety Last” 1923
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBYJNAapyk
Laucaux Cave Paintings
17,000-18,000 B.C.E.
We consider these partially
due to the time in human
history these were made.
What was important to
these people at this
particular time?
The “Toreador” fresco. c. 1500 BCE.
Height, including upper border, approximately 24 1/2 in.
Iconographic Analysis- the meaning attached to symbols
Christ, from Deësis mosaic. Thirteenth century.
Yukinori Yanagi. America. 1994.
each 8 x 12 in.
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Psychological Analysis
Considers the mental state of the artist when the artwork
was being made and uses this to help interpret the work
1.168 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. Oil on canvas, 33⅛ x 60”. Art Institute of Chicago
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Edward Hopper, Nighthawks
Psychological analysis
Made during America’s entry
into World War II
Emotion conveyed through
figures and setting
What is your interpretation
of the mood? What do you
think Hopper is saying about
these people?
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Vincent Van Gogh Wheat Field with Crows 1890
“This sadness will last forever.”
This was the last piece he, for he shot himself right as it was
completed. How much of his mental/emotional state should we
consider to weigh the piece as art. How much should it add or detract
from its meaning? Should it be a factor at all?
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Formal Analysis
Considers the elements and principles used by the artist
Elements of art: line, shape, form, mass, volume, color, texture,
space, time and motion, and value
Principles of art: contrast, balance, unity, variety, rhythm,
emphasis, pattern, proportion, and scale
Diego de Silva y
Velázquez, Las Meninas,
c. 1656. Oil on canvas,
10’5¼” x 9’¾”. Museo Nacional
del Prado, Madrid, Spain
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Diego (de Silva y) Velázquez, Las Meninas
Combining modes of analysis
Formal analysis—Multiple focal points discovered:
Contrast, space (linear perspective, focal point, red color as
accent, rhythm in the horizontal shapes of the paintings, etc.
Historical analysis
• Princess Margarita, King and Queen of Spain
• Velázquez in the painting to elevate his social status and painting
profession as a whole.
• Nieto the Queen’s secretary in doorway
Biographical analysis
• Artist’s desire to be knighted and artist’s relationship with King
• Iconographical analysis
• Cross on Velázquez
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Imitation and Individual Style
Artists often train themselves by studying and copying
earlier masterpieces
By referring to earlier masterpieces in new artworks,
artists associate themselves with other artists who preceded
them
By studying other artworks, artists may learn how to
differentiate themselves-or not
Picasso, Las Meninas, first in a series, 1957. Oil on canvas, 6’4⅜” × 8’6⅜”. Museo Picasso, Barcelona, Spain
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Picasso, Las Meninas
Picasso painted 45 paintings using a
poster of the original Las Meninas (by
Velázquez) as a model
Picasso competing with earlier Spanish
master (seeking more fame and prestige
for himself and Spain)
Yet he completely differentiates himself
from Velazquez
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
David was schooled at the Royal Academy in France
Traveled to Rome and apprenticed under Mengs and
Wincelmann-two proponents of Neoclassicism
He studied and copied Raphael extensively
He embraced his masters’ style and went on to foster
other painters to follow his artistic lead
Winslow Homer, Prisoners from the Front, 1866. Oil on canvas, 24 × 38”.
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.10 Content and Analysis
Conclusion
Artworks can be representational or non-objective; the
degree to which they are non-objective is based upon the
level of abstraction
Best interpretations are based on synthesis of several
modes of analysis
Artists look to earlier artists for inspiration
Remember the juxtaposition of these two problems for us
as viewers-how much to interpret historically and how
much to judge the work for itself
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