These are the notes from my introductory lecture for my Art 100 students from the first week of class. It is intended to give them a general overview of some of the terminology and concepts we'll cover during the semester. The terms and definitions we filled out in class are in red.

Art Forms

Two Dimensional

Purpose of this class is not to make you an art historian, but to make you visually literate.

PAINTING

Medium and pigment (medium = liquid part of paint; pigment = colored part of paint).

Media examples: oil, water, egg (tempera).

Subject matter and style:

Subject matter: ("Subject matter" answers the "what" question about a work. Ask yourself, "what is in this work of art? What is it depicting?" The answer lies in the "subject matter." The following are a few types or categories of "subject matter.") self-portrait, portrait, still-life, landscape, history, religion, mythology, etc.

 

Style: ("Style" answers the "how" question about a work. Ask yourself, "how has the artist depicted the subject? How has the artist put his/her personal mark on this piece?" The following represents the range visible in "style.") anywhere from realist/representational to abstract/non-objective.

 

DRAWING

Can be preparatory or a final product.

Media examples: pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, crayon, etc.

GRAPHIC ARTS

(Graphic arts basically refer to the process of transferring an image from one surface to another.)

Relief Printing.

Background is cut away.

 

Example: woodcut.

 

Intaglio Printing.

Lines/patterns incised into plate. Intagliare: Italian, to cut into.

 

Example: etching (acid is used), engraving (drypoint), and aquatint (acid).

 

Planographic printing.

Lithography (transfer printing technique): stone, now zinc plates, used.

 

Silkscreen/Serigraph (stencil process): mask, either cut-out or of varnish, is used.

 

Photography.

Light sensitive, chemically treated material (film).

 

Three Dimensional

SCULPTURE

Freestanding (completely detached from the background; all sides of the subject can be seen).

Relief (attached to the background; usually the back of the subject cannot be seen).

High ("high relief" involves deep carving; the figures are raised high from the background).

 

Low ("low relief" involves shallow carving; the figures are nearly flush with the background).

Methods:

Subtractive (carved).

 

Additive (modeled, cast, welded).

Media examples: marble, bronze, clay, etc.

Purpose (original site, drapery, etc.).

ARCHITECTURE

Plan (a cut-away view from the top).

Axes (central plan, long axial plan).

Section (a cut-away view from the side or front).

Elevation (view of interior or exterior wall surfaces).

Site.

Giza Plateau, west side of Nile, Egypt.

 

Acropolis, Athens, Greece.

Materials.

Perishable materials (wood).

 

Stone (limestone).

 

Marble.

 

Cement.

Engineering capability.

Post and lintel.

 

Arch.

 

Dome.

 

Flying Buttress.

Function.

Dwelling.

 

Astronomical.

 

Burial site (mastaba, pyramid, tomb, mausoleum).

 

Religious (temple, mosque, cathedral/church/chapel).

 

Palace.

 

Entertainment (amphitheater/theater).

 

Government (basilica).

 

Functional (aqueduct).

Ornamentation.

Color.

 

Sculpture.

 

Relief.

 

Stained glass.

Components of Art

THE VISUAL ELEMENTS

Line (defines contours; most basic visual element).

Color [qualities of hue (red, blue, yellow, etc.), intensity (brightness or saturation), and value (lightness or darkness) observed in colored pigment or light].

Light (used literally by sculptors, photographers and architects; sometimes used for dramatic effect with dark shadows).

Texture (real or implied? rough or smooth?).

Space (is there a suggestion of depth on the flat surface?).

Perspective (scientific method for creating a three-dimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface).

Form (usually refers to the shape or structure of an object).

Proportion (refers to the relationship of the parts to the whole).

Composition (the arrangement or organization of the visual elements; compositions can be symmetrical, pyramidal, heraldic, etc.).

How to Study Art History

HISTORY AND TIME

Major Time Periods of Art History.

Ancient.

 

Medieval.

 

Renaissance.

 

Modern.

Language of Time.

B.C. (B.C.E./B.P.) (B.C. means "before Christ." B.C. dates start with the year 0 and move back in time. Less often used are B.C.E., "before the common era," and B.P., "before present.").

 

A.D. (C.E.) (A.D. means "anno domini," or "year of our Lord." A.D. dates start with the year 0 and move forward in time. Less often used is C.E., "common era.").

 

Centuries (late and early, B.C. and A.D.).

 

c. (circa) (means "about" or "around"; used when a specific date isn't known).

 

MEANING IN CONTEXT

Time.

 

Place.

 

Keep in mind that everything we look at was made at a specific time and in a specific place. Often, these two factors play a significant role in shaping the look of a given work of art.

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