WHAT IS ART



The Story of Art  

The creation of objects of beauty is a common trait shared by all people, in all places, in all times. Learning the history of art helps to better understand the cultures that have contributed to the story of art. We can understand some of our own culture and borrow ideas used by others in the art we create today. Here at the third grading period, you are going to learn some of the tools that art historians use when they study the story of art.

  

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The Four Steps System in Viewing a Work of Art

How to “Read” an Artwork - Art Criticism/Appreciation Method

Works of art are created to be seen and appreciated. This is true for your own work and artwork by your peers, as well as well-known artworks. Appreciating art means that you take time to look at artworks and think about what you see. This is also known as Art Criticism.

What is Art Criticism?

Art criticism is responding to, interpreting meaning, and making critical judgments about specific works of art.

Art criticism involves a specific way of looking at a work of art. You can make discernment about art without being a professional artist, all you need to do is learn to look (see) and think about what you are seeing. Learning how to criticize artwork properly will allow you to better understand works of art and why they have become important.

Doing art criticism is like playing detective. You must assume that the artist has a secret message hidden inside the work. Your job is to solve the mystery and find the message. Art Criticism is more than saying "I like it" or "I don’t like it." It is a step-by-step process of logical thinking.

The following four steps, which must be taken in order, are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. Following the steps of art criticism can help you discover lots of clues to really understand and appreciate a work of art.

Let’s Begin

Look briefly at the painting below. What do you see in the painting? What do you know about its artist? When and where did he live? Is he thought to be an important artist? Answering these and similar questions is the goal of art criticism. In this lesson you will learn ways of answering these questions.

Henri Matisse, The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room), 1908, oil on canvas, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Trivia about the Artwork

The Dessert: Harmony in Red is a painting by French artist Henri Matisse, from 1908. It is considered by some critics to be Matisse's masterpiece. It is an example of Impressionism's lack of a central focal point. The painting was ordered as "Harmony in Blue," but Matisse was dissatisfied with the result, and so he painted it over with his preferred red.

The Four Steps System in Viewing or Appreciating a Work of Art In each step of art criticism, you are answering a different question

Step 1. Describing an Art Work (What do I See? The Visual Facts)

This step is the process of simply describing the work. In this step you just identify things about the work that you can see, name, and describe with certainty.

Look at the work of art: What do you see? Take time to look at the work. Describe everything you actually see. Use factual, objective language. Objective means you describe only those features you can point out and other people can see. In other words, give only the facts. Avoid judging the work. This step is meant to slow your pace. Slowing down helps you notice things you might otherwise miss.

The various elements that constitute a description include:

1. What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?

2. What is the name or title of the artwork?

3. When was this artwork created?

4. What kind of artwork of art is this?

5. What is the artwork made of (medium or media)?

6. Describe what subjects or literal objects in the artwork (trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.)

Answers

For numbers 1- 4 you can find it in the credit line, the written information below, about the artwork.

1. Name of the Artist: Henry Matisse

2. Title of the Artwork: The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

3. Year the artwork was Created: 1908

4. The Media or Materials used: Oil on Canvas

5. Kind of artwork of art: Painting

6. Describe what subjects or literal objects in the artwork: Red room wall paper, chairs, wooden, cane seat, table, table cloth, woman fruit & wine, cut flowers in vase, window landscape, trees, bushes, flowers, building

Step 2. Analyzing an Art Work (How is the work organized?)

This step is also a form of description, you are still collecting facts but, in this step, you must look at what elements have been used to create this work and how they were used. When you talk about how the elements are used, it is convenient to speak of the principles of art. For instance, you might say that the repetition of red color or pattern in the painting creates a regular rhythm in the work. Be as specific as you can. Be careful not to simply create some sentences infused with the names of elements and principles. Your sentences must make sense in relation to the artwork that you are viewing.

Look again at the painting by Henri Matisse, how is the work arranged? Break down the painting into its composition, or the way the art principles are used to organize the art elements.

The elements that constitute analysis include:

1. Analysis of the elements of art and

2. Analysis of the principles of design or composition.

A. The Elements of Art, describe what you see.

a. What kind of lines do you see? Are they straight, curvy, diagonal, etc.?

b. What kind of shapes do you see? Are they geometric, organic, etc.?

c. What kind of forms do you see? Are they 2D, flat, 3D, solid?

d. What kind of objects do you see? Are they people, architectural, natural, etc.?

e. What kind of textures do you see? Are they rough, smooth, grainy, fuzzy, etc.?

f. What colors do you see? Are they bright, dull, fluorescent, no color, etc.?

g. What kind of values do you see? Are they high contrast, low contrast, good dynamic range, etc.?

h. What kind of space do you see? Is it deep, shallow, flat, etc.?

Answers A. Elements of Art/Design

a. Line=straight-outline table, chairs / curvy- flower pattern

b. Shape=geometric / organic

c. Form= 2D, flattened

d. Objects= people, architectural and natural

e. Texture=patterns

f. Color=red- jarring color blue, yellow, green, black, white

g. Values= high contrast – black, white

h. Space=crowded space, flattened plane

B. The Principles of Art/Design, look at how the elements of art are organized.

a. Balance - What kind of balance is displayed? Are the main forms arranged in a symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial plan?

b. Rhythm- Is rhythm created through repetition? What is repeated? For example, lines, shapes, colors, objects, etc.

Emphasis - What is the focal point? What is the first thing you see?

d. Unity - What is foremost element that helps to unify the work? Does the work hold together? Are some more important than the others? For example, is the work unified by repeated pattern, rhythms or other features? Are there other dominant elements?

e. Contrast -Is their any contrast or pronounced differences among same elements of art?

f. Movement -Can you see definite paths of movement? Are they vertical, horizontal or diagonal? Where do they begin and end? Is there an illusion of action? How does the eye move around the work?

g. Proportion - In terms of proportion, the size relationships between one part to the whole or one part to another part, are they about normal? Are they exaggerated? Are they ideal?

Answers Principles of Art/Design

a. Balance= asymmetrical, woman-chair, room-window

b. Rhythm= repeated- curved pattern (wall paper, cloth, trees), dots of color (lemons/flowers)

c. Emphasis= woman arranging fruit

d. Unity= the red color, shape & line

e. Contrast= color, red-green, black-white, texture, pattern-solid, line, curve-straight

f. Movement= diagonal bottom right to top left, curved lines of pattern & trees

g. Proportion= large with small square

Step 3. Interpreting an Art Work (What message does this artwork communicate to you?)

In this step, you have two questions to answer: "What is happening?" and "What is the artist trying to say?" You will interpret (explain or tell the meaning of) the work. It is here that you can make guesses. Interpretation is the most difficult art criticism step for some people. But it can also be the most creative and the most rewarding. You must use your intelligence, imagination, and courage. You must not be afraid to make an interpretation that is different from someone else's. After all, you are different from anyone else. How you interpret a work of art will depend on what you have done and seen in your life. However, your interpretation should be based upon the facts and clues you collected during the first two steps. Your interpretation can express your feelings, but your feelings must be backed up by observation. Your goal is to understand how all the visual evidence fits together. Like a good detective, you should trust what you've seen, the clues or evidence, and your hunches.

Meaning of the Artwork

Guiding Questions:

a. What is the purpose or meaning of the art work? What do you think the artist is trying to communicate? What does it mean to you? Give your opinion based on the clues you have collected from Steps I and II.

b. What symbols are in the artwork, representing other things or meanings? 

c. Why do you think that artist created this work?

d. What ideas, moods, emotions, and stories do you think the artwork communicates? Describe the mood of the work (sad, happy, serious, lighthearted, calm, chaotic, depressing, joyful, aggressive, passive, relaxed, etc.). What is the theme or subject of the work? What feelings do you have when looking at the work? 

e. Does the title of the artwork provide clues to the meaning and/or purpose of this work?

Background Information - Find out as much about the work and the artist as you can. 

It is important to complete this stage after having completed the other two. Art works should provoke thought in the viewer. If you are given the thought or the answer before you experience the artwork, your own creative thinking might be bypassed and your experience with the artwork will be lessened. Research more some information in the library or through the internet about the art and the artist his or her biographical information or writings about the artwork that will help you a lot to interpret the artwork.

Answers

In Matisse's Harmony in Red (Red Room) 1908-09, red is the predominant color in the painting. The color red has a physiological affect that excites and stimulates. More energy is reflected from warm colors than from the cooler ones. "Warm" colors - red, yellow and orange - traditionally are thought to evoke feelings of heat, whether psychological or real.

Artists understand the power of color in affecting the viewer's feelings. Throughout art history, artists have used color to convey and heighten the emotional content of a painting. In the early twentieth century, artists began to focus on color as a direct translation of their feelings, and to use color as an emotional force. This group of artists was called the Fauves (or the wild beasts in French) and they included Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), and Andre Derain (1880-1954.)

Matisse also limits his perspective in this work. He makes breaks in the line around the table, frames the chair, the window, and the little house in an innovative manner by cutting them off, and encloses two of the planes, the green and the blue in a window. Matisse also limits his perspective in this work. He makes breaks in the line around the table, frames the chair, the window, and the little house in an innovative manner by cutting them off, and encloses two of the planes, the green and the blue in a window.

Step 4. Judging an Art Work (Do you think this work is successful? Why or why not?)

What reasons can you give for your idea of why this is a good or bad artwork?

Informed Judgment: After careful observation, analysis, and interpretation of an artwork, you are ready to make your own judgment.  This is your personal evaluation based on the understandings of the work(s).  

Evaluate the merit of the art work.

Here are questions you consider:

1. To what degree does the art work succeed in conveying an idea or feeling? Why?

2. Is the meaning clear? Are multiple meanings possible? How could the artist convey his/her message better?

3. Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth?  What is the value that you find in the work(s)?  (For example, it is a beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way that I see the world, makes insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)

4. Do you think that the work(s) has a benefit for others?  Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling or principle that would have value for others?

5. Does the work lack value or worth?  Why do you think this is so?  Could the reason you find the work lacking come from a poor use of the elements of art? Could the subject matter by unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?

6. Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall somewhere in-between?  Do you think that the work is just o.k.? What do you base this opinion on?  The use of elements of art?  Lack of personal expression? The work lacks a major focus?  Explore your criticism of the work (s) as much as you would any positive perceptions.  Realize that your own tastes and prejudices may enter into your criticism.  Give your positive and negative perceptions

What is Art?

Art - For numerous reasons, the most difficult word to define without starting endless argument! Many definitions have been proposed. At least art involves a degree of human involvement -- through manual skills or thought -- as with the word "artificial" meaning made by humans instead of by nature. Definitions vary in how they divide all that is artificial into what is and isn't art.

 

 

1. the products of human creativity – as made or produced by us – human, as activity

2. the creation of beautiful or significant things – as creation, an expression of

beauty and fine things

3. a superior skill that you learn by study and praise and observation – as skill, a discipline

4. painting or sculpture or other representations in a publication – as objects or form that

can be seen or hold or hear

Art - the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form.

What is an Artist? Art is what is made by an artist

Anything might be art. Art is what an artist makes. Then, what is an artist?

Artist - One who makes art. It is very interesting to consider that some find this standard far too liberal -- that one might be a great painter, for instance, but an "artist" is something significantly above and beyond that in achievement. Nevertheless, a distinction is generally drawn between an artist and an artisan, just as there can be merit to making distinctions between the making of art and craft.

Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an art. It is also used in a qualitative sense of a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, an artistic practice.

Most often, the term describes those who create within a context of 'high culture', activities such as drawing, painting, sculpture, acting, dancing, writing, filmmaking, photography and music.

Artisan - A craftsman; a skilled manual worker, one who makes crafts. Craft - Technical skill, manual dexterity, considered apart from the fine arts. Also, any of the manual activities performed by artisans or craftspeople.

Purposes of Art

There is always a reason for creating art.

Art is created and enjoyed by many people for many reasons. However, one of the things that art does is extend and expand our shared common visual language. Artists show us new ways to see familiar things, and how to interpret new situations and events through various kinds of visual shorthand. This creation of visual language may be the artist's intention, or it may be a side effect of other purposes. So what are some of the purposes that art fulfills?

1. SERVING RELIGION Probably the oldest purpose of art is as a vehicle for religious ritual. To express religious values, from the prehistoric cave paintings of France to the Sistine Chapel, art has served religion. For centuries the Church was the primary patron of artists. 2. RECORDING APPEARANCES OR EVENTS Art may be simply a means of recording of visual data-- telling the "truth" about what we see. Art may also serve as a commemoration of an important event. The event may be of major historical importance. Art can reflect the social and cultural background of an era. 3. DELIGHTING Art can also be seen as pleasing the eye- creating beauty. Yet the idea of beauty, like that of truth, has been challenged in the modern era. At one time, the artist was expected to portray perfection-- lofty and noble ideals of beauty. 4. COMMUNICATING Art is also a powerful means of storytelling. This was a common device of religious art of the Middle ages, for example in the frescoes by Giotto from the Church of San Francesco de Assisi, where sequences of panels were used to tell stories from the Scriptures or lives of saints. Art can also convey intense emotion. The expressive power of art can be seen in literal ways in the capturing of facial expression and body language. 5. MAKING VISIBLE THE INVISIBLE Art can also make visible things we normally cannot see. To create fantasy. The extraordinary special effects in movies have their origins in the ability of human beings to imagine and transform these imaginings into substantial form. Throughout history, people have made images of gods, angels, and demons; of events from the distant past or the far-off future; and of what they wished the present would be but is not. 6. INTERPRETING SUBJECT In any case, one of the primary functions of art is to interpret the subject matter at hand. Subject matter does not change all that much over time. Some artists like to shock us. Throughout the course of history as society has changed, so also has the interpretation of specific subject matter. A portrait executed by Matisse in 1907 could not be confused with one done by van Dyck in the 1630s.

Categories of Art

Most forms of art usually can be grouped into two main categories: The High Art or Fine arts and the Low art or Applied Arts.

1. Low Art or Applied Arts - Refers to the lesser or minor arts, including the decorative or applied arts,

Applied Arts - The arts concerned with making objects with functional purposes, but for which aesthetic concerns are significant. The applied arts may include interior design, the design of manufactured items, ceramics, metalwork, jewelry, textile, glass, furniture, graphics, clocks and watches, toys, leather, arms and armor, musical instruments. Applied arts is often used to refer to the design or decoration of functional objects to make them appealing to the eye. This is usually created by designers, artisans or craftspeople.

Generally decorative arts and crafts are useful and lack narrative or symbolic content.

Decorative arts are defined primarily by their practical use.

2. High Art - Fine art, also known as beaux-arts, art that is of universal transcendence, having withstood the test of time and representing the epitome of artistic achievement, Traditionally, high art consists of the meticulous expression in fine materials of refined or noble sentiment.

The wording Fine arts, however, suggests that these art forms in some way rank higher than other art forms generally categorized as decorative arts or crafts. There are various justifications for this distinction:

1. The fine arts use the human figure as their subject (although this is a difficult rationale when

applied to architecture) 2. They can convey ideas or moral values; they are interpreted or discussed in theoretical

writings. 3. They can be appreciated for their own sake, without regard to their usefulness. Fine Arts include drawing, painting, sculpture, fine printmaking, music and opera, dance, theater, poetry, literature, fine art photography and film.

"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together."

John Ruskin (1819-1900), British art critic.

What is an Art Movement?

Art Movement - An artistic style or tendency in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time.

Art History - historical study of the visual arts, being concerned with identifying, classifying, describing, evaluating, interpreting, and understanding the art products and historic development of the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, the decorative arts, drawing, printmaking, photography, interior design, etc.

Art History Timeline

I. Ancient Art

1. Classicism or Classical Art

This term has come to have several meaning. Originally it was used when referring to the art form inspired or influenced by ancient Greek or Roman examples. Today, classical is used to describe perfection of form, with an emphasis on harmony and unity and restraint of emotion. Usually, it is applied to works that are representational but idealistic.

In a general sense, Classicism refers to art based on accepted standards of beauty.

A. Greek Art (1100-700 B.C.)

Greece was the birthplace of the western civilization. The influences of ancient Greek culture and art can still be felt and seen today. As witnessed in works from the Golden Age of Greece- the time of "The Great Thinkers"-- art embodied the Classical aesthetic, an idyllic and refined concept of the beautiful.

The Beginning of Greek Culture

The story of ancient Greece begins around 1500 B.C. It was around this time that different groups from the north settled in the regions bordering the Aegean Sea. Greece never became a nation. Instead, the tribes that formed it remained small separately ruled powers called city states. One of the largest and most powerful of the city states was Athens. It was also the most important in the history of art.

Classical Greek sculptors include Phidias, Myron, Praxiteles, Polyclitus, and Lysippus.

Notable works include Kouros sculpture (archaic style), Classical sculpture: Zeus, Apollo, reliefs on east pediment of the Parthenon, the Acropolis, Temple of Poseidon, the Parthenon, painted vases (geometric style).

Architecture The artist of Greece valued above all else grace, harmony and precision. The Parthenon was an example. The Parthenon was a temple built in honor of the Greek goddess Athena. It stood along with the other temples on a sacred hill known as the Acropolis. The word Acropolis means “high city”

Sculpture Sculpture was another of the outstanding achievements of the ancient Greek art. At first sculptures were stiff and awkward. In time however, as Greek sculptures gained skills and confidence, they began creating works that were remarkably lifelike and natural.

B. Roman Art (200 B.C. - 200 A.D.)

The Romans eclectic art influenced in large part by Greek Classicism did not partake of the Classical ideals. Works involved realistic subject matter and often related to the aggressive Roman heritage.The Greek city states were not only unable to band together to form a nation, they were also unable to keep peace among themselves for long. Frequent outbreaks of fighting over a 1300 – year period weaken the country. It made Greece helpless against attack from outside forces. Finally in 197 B.C., Greece fell to the Romans. Although The Greek empire was defeated, Greek influence continued. The Romans were influenced by Greek ideas about art and used them in their own works

Examples of Roman art include

She-Wolf (the story of Romulus and Remus), Roman Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, aqueducts, Insula (homes with enclosed courtyards), Byzantine cathedrals: Hagia, Sophia, Istanbul, St. Basils, Moscow (onion domes, minarets). Roman sculpture (intense realism and detail) "Portrait of a Roman," "Augustus," relief on columns, equestrian statues. Roman painting, mosaics and frescos.

Architecture

Rome’s greatest contributions were in the field of architecture. Among its accomplishments were:

Concrete. This mixture of powdered minerals and small stones was used to create buildings with great dome and ceilings

The Round Arch. This curved arrangement of stones over an open space opened up new building possibilities. A series of round arches could be used to build bridges and other structures.

The Aqueduct. This network of channels meant to carry water to a city.

The Triumphal Arch. This was a monument to built to celebrate great army victories.

Sculpture

Like the Greeks before the, the Romans aimed for realism in their sculpture. A number of the works remain are portrait sculptures.

Themes in Ancient Art

1. Mythology - The myths and legends of Greece and Rome profoundly influenced ancient art, and the characters (gods and heroes) who inspired these myths were favorite subjects for ancient artists.

2. Idealism -Ancient Greek art is famous for its aspirations to represent the ideal - especially in depicting the human form.

3. Realism -The ancient Romans were masters of realism.

Ideal - A theory or conception of something in its absolute perfection.

Beauty - A delighting quality generally associated with harmony of form or color, excellence of craftsmanship, truthfulness, originality, or other noble aspects of experience beyond superficial appearance or mere prettiness.

Beauty - id quod placet - “that which seen, pleases".

III. Renaissance Art

During the Middle Ages the teaching of Catholic Church were the focus of much of the artwork. By the beginning of 1400s, however, artists gradually began to change their style. After centuries of creating religious works, artists began to paint pictures to look as realistic as possible. The emphasis was not always on religious subjects. This time is known as Renaissance, a period of great awakening. The word Renaissance means “rebirth”.

The Renaissance (1400-1600)

The Renaissance, which means "a new birth or rebirth" was the result of a rediscovery of the Classical Art and ideas of Greece compiled with a revolt against the flat, decorative and symbolic style of art prevalent during the Gothic period. It is perhaps one of the greatest periods of artistic development. Many of our present day art influences have their beginnings in the styles which were developed during this time. Two of the most notable achievements in art which date from this period are the discoveries of perspective and chiaroscuro. Both of these discoveries were key factors in the growth of a realistic style of art. They also perfected their understanding of anatomy.

The most noted artist of the Early Renaissance includes such artists as Donatello, Masaccio, Pra Angelico, Botticelli, Pra Fillippo Lippi and Pollainolo. The High Renaissance gave birth to such masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Tintoretto, Giorgione, and Titian. Florence and Venice were great centers for art at this time.

In Northern Europe, several Flemish and German artists contributed greatly to the painting and art of this period. The most noted artists are Jan van Eyck, Hieronymous Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, and Albrecht Durer.

Achievements of the Renaissance Period

1. The emphasis was humanistic, rather than divine - man, not God, art becomes secular.

2. This was also the beginning of the use of oil paint.

3. Atmospheric perspective appeared - this means that there is less contrast and saturation of the colors in the space furthest away from the painting surface (depth), which also gives the work a certain unity

4. The artist in Italy was no longer perceived as merely a craftsman.

5. Linear perspective was invented at this time, also - lines receding in space toward a vanishing point on the horizon line, at the viewer's eye level

6. Science came to the aid of artists, as more importance was placed on objective accuracy of images

7. There was an interest in the nude figure, and its anatomical accuracy; using chiaroscuro (light and dark shading) to indicate volume in forms, and as a unifying element in the composition (eliminating the barriers of contour lines between forms).

8. Color harmonies began to be studied, and artists began doing preliminary studies for composing artworks. They also began to use geometric forms to compose and stabilize compositions, such as the triangle.

V. Beginnings of Modern Art - 1700s

1. Neoclassicism Mid-18th Century to Early-19th Century

An 18th-century reaction to the excesses of Baroque and Rococo, this European art movement tried to recreate the art of Greece and Rome by imitating the ancient classics both in style and subject matter. Neoclassical Art is a severe, unemotional form of art harkening back to the style of ancient Greece and Rome. Its rigidity was a reaction to the overbred Rococo style and the emotional Baroque style. The rise of Neoclassical Art was part of a general revival of classical thought, which was of some importance in the American and French revolutions.

Important Neoclassicists include

the architects Robert Adam and Robert Smirke, the sculptors Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, and painters Anton Raphael Mengs, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Jacques-Louis David.

 Neoclassical Art was also a substantial direct influence on 19th-century Academic Art.

Academic Art is the painting and sculpture produced under the influence of the European Academies, where many artists received their formal training. It is characterized by its highly finished style, its use of historical or mythological subject matter, and its moralistic tone. Neoclassical Art was closely associated with the Academies.

2. Realism (1850-1940)

This period is concerned with expressing subject matter in a highly realistic matter. A nineteenth-century movement, especially in France, that rejected idealized academic styles in favor of everyday subjects. Subjects were often common people and places (genre) rather than royal or wealthy patrons. Some of these artists concerned themselves with social conditions with reflected economic struggles of the times.

Realism is an approach to art in which subjects are portrayed in as straightforward manner as possible, without idealizing them and without following the rules of formal theory.

 

Early Realists were Honore Daumier, Gustave Courbet, Francisco de Goya and Edward Manet. Later American Realists including John Sloan, Ben Shahn, Robert Henri, Thomas Hart Benton, Remington, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Edward Hicks.

RESEARCH PROJECT

This project is one of the REQUIREMENTS for clearance.

Work only on the assigned three Filipino artists.

Must be printed (colored) on short bond paper

Follow the format below.

Submission is TBA

SAMPLE PROJECT

The Four Steps System in Viewing or Appreciating a Work of Art

Henri Matisse, The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room), 1908, oil on canvas, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Step 1. Describing an Art Work

1. Name of the Artist: Henry Matisse

2. Title of the Artwork: The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

3. Year the artwork was Created: 1908

4. The Media or Materials used: Oil on Canvas

5. Kind of artwork of art: Painting

6. Describe what subjects or literal objects in the artwork: Red room wall paper, chairs, wooden, cane seat, table, table cloth, woman fruit & wine, cut flowers in vase, window landscape, trees, bushes, flowers, building

Step 2. Analyzing an Art Work

A. Elements of Art/Design

a. Line=straight-outline table, chairs / curvy- flower pattern

b. Shape=geometric / organic

c. Form= 2D, flattened

d. Objects= people, architectural and natural

e. Texture=patterns

f. Color=red- jarring color blue, yellow, green, black, white

g. Values= high contrast – black, white

h. Space=crowded space, flattened plane

Principles of Art/Design

a. Balance= asymmetrical, woman-chair, room-window

b. Rhythm= repeated- curved pattern (wall paper, cloth, trees), dots of color (lemons/flowers)

c. Emphasis= woman arranging fruit

d. Unity= the red color, shape & line

e. Contrast= color, red-green, black-white, texture, pattern-solid, line, curve-straight

f. Movement= diagonal bottom right to top left, curved lines of pattern & trees

g. Proportion= large with small square

Step 3. Interpreting an Art Work

In Matisse's Harmony in Red (Red Room) 1908-09, red is the predominant color in the painting. The color red has a physiological affect that excites and stimulates. More energy is reflected from warm colors than from the cooler ones. "Warm" colors - red, yellow and orange - traditionally are thought to evoke feelings of heat, whether psychological or real.

Artists understand the power of color in affecting the viewer's feelings. Throughout art history, artists have used color to convey and heighten the emotional content of a painting. In the early twentieth century, artists began to focus on color as a direct translation of their feelings, and to use color as an emotional force. This group of artists was called the Fauves (or the wild beasts in French) and they included Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), and Andre Derain (1880-1954.)

Matisse also limits his perspective in this work. He makes breaks in the line around the table, frames the chair, the window, and the little house in an innovative manner by cutting them off, and encloses two of the planes, the green and the blue in a window. Matisse also limits his perspective in this work. He makes breaks in the line around the table, frames the chair, the window, and the little house in an innovative manner by cutting them off, and encloses two of the planes, the green and the blue in a window.

Step 4. Judging an Art Work

Evaluate the merit of the art work.

Here are questions you consider:

a. To what degree does the art work succeed in conveying an idea or feeling? Why?

b. Is the meaning clear? Are multiple meanings possible? How could the artist convey his/her message better?

c. Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth?  What is the value that you find in the work(s)?  (For example, it is a beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way that I see the world, makes insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)

d. Do you think that the work(s) has a benefit for others?  Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling or principle that would have value for others?

e. Does the work lack value or worth?  Why do you think this is so?  Could the reason you find the work lacking come from a poor use of the elements of art? Could the subject matter by unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?

f. Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall somewhere in-between?  Do you think that the work is just o.k.? What do you base this opinion on?  The use of elements of art?  Lack of personal expression? The work lacks a major focus?  Explore your criticism of the work (s) as much as you would any positive perceptions.  Realize that your own tastes and prejudices may enter into your criticism.  Give your positive and negative perceptions

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Spoliarium, Juan Luna, 1884, oil on canvas

Look briefly at the painting above. What do you see in the painting? What do you know about its artist? When and where did he live? Is he thought to be an important artist? Answering these and similar questions is the goal of art history.

In this lesson you will learn ways of answering these questions.

Battle of Lepanto, Juan Luna, 1887, oil on canvas

This diagram was produced with Plumb Design and 's Visual Thesaurus -- an animated display of words and meanings -- a visual representation of the English language. Looking up a word -- in this case "art" -- creates a visualization with that word in the center of the display, connected to related words and meanings. The four nodes surrounding "art," stand for these four senses of the word:

Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Vertumnus. 1590-1591

Self-portrait by Pablo Picasso

Can you match the purpose with the art displayed? Look carefully at the information on purpose and the art.

Discus Thrower (Discobolus), bronze by Myron c.485-425 BCE

The Parthenon , by Ictinus and Callicrates with Phidias c.477-438 BCE

The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Hellenistic), Louvre, Paris

Nike, Goddess of Wind

Aphrodite of Milos (Venus de Milo)

Ceres,The Goddess of Agriculture

Roman, Emperor Julius Caesar

Laocoön and his Sons, Roman copy of a Hellenistic original 200 BCE

Roman, Emperor Augustus of Primaporta c. 1 CE, marble

Arch of Constantine, A.D. 312-315, Rome, Italy.

Rome, Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater), 70-82 CE.

Michelangelo. David, 1501

The Tribute Money by Masaccio, 1427

A drawing showing linear perspective, based on trick the eyes play on us. This trick causes the sides of a floor tiles, for example, to seem to come together in the distance, the vanishing point

Michelangelo Bounarotti, Pietà [1498-1500, marble

Raphael Sanzo,The School of Athens, 1509

Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519), Mona Lisa (La Joconde), c. 1503, oil on wood panel

Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Rome

Arnolfini Wedding by Jan Van Eyck, 1434, oil on canvas

Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique

Jupiter and Thetis, 1811Oil on Canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Princesse de Broglie, 1851-1853, oil on canvas

Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii, 1784, oil on canvas

The Three Graces" by Antonio Canova

TheRoyal Scottish Academy Edinburgh, William Henry Playfair

Third Class Carriage

by Honore Daumier, 1862

Artists Sketching in the White Mountains (1868) by Winslow Homer

The Gleaners, 1857

by Jean-Francois Millet

Gustave Courbet The Stonebreakers 1849-50, Oil on canvas

John Sloan, McSorley's Bar, 1912

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