Foundations ofArt and Design

Chapter 1: The Creative Impulse

Justification for CreationFig. 1.2 God as Architect of the

World, Folio 1 verso of a moralized Bible (Paris ca. 1220 – 1230)

Artist’s FascinationIn the image, A

Fisherman at Sea do you feel that nature is depicted as…

Fig. 1.3a Fisherman at Sea by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Artist’s Fascination

In the image, A Fisherman at Sea do you feel that nature is depicted as:

1. Subject2. Source3. Both4. Neither

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

Fig. 1.4a Diary: December 12, 1941 by Roger Shimomura

CultureWhat is the difference

between nature and culture?

What does that difference imply?

Culture is:The things that we are

exposed to every day, things that shape our culture, things that are passed along from generation to generation.

Fig. 1.4b 99 Cent(1999) by Andreas Gursky

Artist’s Response to Nature…

…has taken the form of:

• Landscape painting• Land art• Sculpture• Can you think of any

other mediums?Fig 1.5 - We Won’t Play

Nature to Your Culture (1983), by Barbara Kruger

Why Study Art History? Helps you to recognize the relationship among

artists and their influences. Influences:• Historical events • Religious beliefs • Social circumstances• Political maneuvering• Idiosyncratic patronage• “Art for art’s sake”• Etc… Fig. 1.6 Joseph Beuys

by Glenn Brown

Fig. 1.7 Numbers in Colorby Jasper Johns (1958-1959)

…And it’s at the very moment you make a botch of it that you’re yourself.

Fig. 1.8 I Am Not Jasper Johnsby Yurii Albert (1981)

Why?How to develop your communication skills:1. Think about art

– How does it make you feel?– What techniques is the artist using?– What is the piece’s composition like?

2. Write about art– Write your thoughts down– Reread them

3. Speak about art– Participate in critiques

The SketchbookAll art students should

have a sketchbook. Why?• To help you

remember. • To record feelings

and thoughts for incorporation into your artwork. Fig. 1.10 Ornothoper Wings, page from

notebook, Codex Atlanticus, fol. s309 verso by Leonardo da Vinci

Understanding ArtPablo Picasso lived to

the age of 92 and was one of the most prolific artists in history.

“…an artist works of necessity,…”

Fig. 1.11 Self-Portraits and Studies, 1897 - 1899 by Pablo Picasso

SubjectSubject is the ‘what’ of

a work of art. • People• Place• Thing• Theme• Process• Idea

Modernism challenged the traditional definition of subject.

Abstraction and Nonobjective art may appear not to have a subject, but…

The Subject of Abstraction and Nonobjective Art?

Abstraction and nonobjective art still have a subject. The subject may be the color or the process.

Fig. 1.12, Study for The Cow (1917) by Theo Van Doesburg

Architecture as an example of iconography

Gothic Architecture The design is a symbol of:• The church’s role in

society. • The religious beliefs of

the time. Many gothic churches use

the Latin Cross plan, or the shape of the cross for their layout.

Fig. 1.13a Aerial view of Church of St. Serin, Toulouse, France (Romanesque, c. 1080 -1120)

American ArchitectureGovernment architecture resembles Greek and

Roman architecture. Why?

Fig. 1.13b Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC (1914) by Henry Bacon

Iconography Examples• Green dress with belly =

fertility• Single candle = the

presence of Christ• Dog = fidelityWhat do you think the

following represents:• Fruit = ?• Marriage bed = ?

Fig. 1.14 Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride by Jan van Eyck

Compare and Contrast…

Fig. 1.15 - Jackson Pollack Fig. 1.16 Joseph Stalin Gazing Enigmatically at the Body of VI Lenin as it Lies in State in Moscow in

the Style of Jackson Pollockby Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden

Fig 1.17a Zen Circle by Torei Enji (1721 - 1292)

Visual ElementsVisual Elements:• Line • Shape• Value• Color• Texture• Space• Time• Motion