Art Matters A Contemporary Approach to Art Appreciation

by Gordon, Pamela

• ISBN13: 9780197620649
• ISBN10: 0197620647
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-10-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Make your Art Appreciation course as inspiring as the rich world of art that it covers. Art Matters enables students to experience art actively and meaningfully, weaving together innovative pedagogy and compelling stories about a wide assortment of artworks and artists to show students that art is everywhere, art is vibrant, and art matters.

Art Matters presents a contemporary approach to art appreciation, offering a compelling narrative, a wide range of works created by numerous artists from around the world, and an active and meaningful learning experience. Through stories, examples, thoughtful pedagogy, and in-depth discussions of process and history, Art Matters motivates students to experience art actively and meaningfully. By asking questions and exposing students to different viewpoints and ideas, the author gives them the tools to speak, write, think critically, and form conclusions about what they see in familiar and unfamiliar works.

Author Biography

Pamela Gordon has been teaching at Connecticut State Community College (formerly Norwalk Community College) since 2009. At CT State, Pam offers two classes: Art Appreciation and The Creative Voice (an interdisciplinary class in which students explore
their own creative processes).

Table of Contents

PART 1. INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1. Art Matters
HOW ART MATTERS Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial
1.1 Art's Central Place in Our Lives
Art Matters
Art Is Everywhere
Practice ART MATTERS 1.1 Discuss a Work That Is Important to You
Art Is a Characteristically Human Endeavor
Art Is an Inner Calling
Art Is a Sensation to Which We are Drawn
1.2 Art's Strong Support
Government Support
International Support
Individual Support
DELVE DEEPER Conserving Art
1.3 Art's Impact on Society
Art Education
Art Therapy
General Support
Awareness of Important Causes
Influence and Propaganda
Censorship and the Destruction of Art
Illegal Trafficking of Art
Practice ART MATTERS 1.2 Explain Why a Memorial Shows How Art Matters
1.4 Art's Role in Religion and Spirituality
A Wondrous Space
An Intermediary
A Representation of the Divine
A Tool for Ritual
1.5 Art's Role in Politics and the Social Order
Promoting the Social Order
Protesting the Social Order
Practice ART MATTERS 1.3 Figure Out the Purpose of a Work of Art
1.6 Art's Role in Recording and Communicating Information
Documenting Life
Reflecting the World
Relaying Messages
Recounting Past Events
Manipulating Depictions
Practice ART MATTERS 1.4 Judge Whether an Image Is Reliable
1.7 Art's Role in Decorating the Everyday World
Embellishing Spaces and Objects
Adorning People
1.8 Art's Role in Expression
Capturing an Emotion
Looking Inward
Imagining Another World
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Chapter 2. Understanding and Defining Art
HOW ART MATTERS Barnett Newman's Voice of Fire
2.1 Seeing Art
Subject Matter and Form
Practice ART MATTERS 2.1 Describe a Work so a Peer Could Draw It
Type
2.2 Contextualizing Art
Context
Practice ART MATTERS 2.2 Consider How Context Creates Meaning
Iconography
Style
Theme
2.3 Experiencing Art
Personal Experience
Perception
Bias
2.4 Defining Art
Art as a Physical Object Made from Artistic Materials
Art as a Work Crafted with Skill
Art as a Work That Has Meaning
Practice ART MATTERS 2.3 Figure Out the Content of a Work
Art as an Object of Value
Art as an Aesthetic Experience
Art as Part of the Canon
Art as a Creative Work
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at Voice of Fire

PART 2. THE LANGUAGE OF ART
Chapter 3. The Visual Elements of Art
HOW ART MATTERS Vincent van Gogh's Letters and Art
3.1 Line
The Character of Lines
The Direction of Lines
Actual and Implied Lines
The Different Uses of Lines
Practice ART MATTERS 3.1 See How Lines Draw Attention
3.2 Shape and Mass
The Character and Direction of Shapes
Geometric and Organic Shapes
Positive and Negative Shapes
Overall Shapes
The Character and Direction of Masses
Geometric and Organic Masses
Mass and Negative Space
Practice ART MATTERS 3.2 Explore the Masses of a Sculpture
3.3 Texture
Actual and Simulated Texture in Two-Dimensional Works
Actual and Simulated Texture in Three-Dimensional Works
3.4 Light and Value
Light
Value
Light Hitting Three-Dimensional Opaque Objects
Chiaroscuro
Value to Heighten Expression
Light as a Material
3.5 Color
The Visible Spectrum
Why We See Color
The Subtractive and Additive Color Systems
The Color Wheel
The Properties of Color
DELVE DEEPER The Additive Color System
Practice ART MATTERS 3.3 Recognize the Hues, Values, and Intensities of Color
Color Schemes
Practice ART MATTERS 3.4 Analyze the Color in a Work
The Characteristics of Color
3.6 Space
Three-Dimensional Space
Two-Dimensional Space
3.7 Time
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at Vincent van Gogh's Letters and Art

Chapter 4. The Principles of Design
HOW ART MATTERS The Taj Mahal
4.1 Unity and Variety
4.2 Balance
Symmetrical Balance
Asymmetrical Balance
Practice ART MATTERS 4.1 Identify Why a Shape Is Heavy
Radial Balance
4.3 Emphasis and Subordination
Practice ART MATTERS 4.2 Determine What Emphasizes or Subordinates an Object
4.4 Scale
4.5 Proportion
4.6 Rhythm
Practice ART MATTERS 4.3 Consider How Size Affects a Cartoon
DELVE DEEPER The Golden Section
Practice ART MATTERS 4.4 Analyze the Rhythm in a Work
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Taj Mahal

PART 3. THE MEDIA
Chapter 5. Drawing
HOW ART MATTERS Pablo Picasso's Guernica Drawings
5.1 What Drawing Is
An Intense Way to See
A Way to Understand the Creative Process
A Way to Take Notes
A Finished Work of Art
5.2 Drawing Surfaces and Tools
Practice ART MATTERS 5.1 Use Different Surfaces and Tools
5.3 Dry Media
Graphite
Charcoal
Chalk
Crayon
Conté Crayon
5.4 Liquid Media
Pen and Ink
Pen and Wash
Practice ART MATTERS 5.2 Consider How Altering the Medium Changes a Work
Brush and Ink
Brush and Wash
DELVE DEEPER Mixed Media
5.5 New Directions in Drawing
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Guernica Drawings

Chapter 6. Painting
HOW ART MATTERS Faith Ringgold's For the Women's House
6.1 What Painting Is
Types of Traditional Painting
The Technical Process of Painting
A Message to Viewers
6.2 Traditional Painting Media
Fresco
Practice ART MATTERS 6.1 Consider the Characteristics of Fresco in a Painting of a Modern Artist
Encaustic
Tempera
Practice ART MATTERS 6.2 Compare the Effects of Encaustic and Fresco Paint
Oil
Transparent Watercolor
Gouache
Practice ART MATTERS 6.3 Recognize the Medium of a Painting
6.3 Acrylics
6.4 New Directions in Painting
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at For the Women's House

Chapter 7. Printmaking
HOW ART MATTERS The Prints of Honoré Daumier
7.1 What Printmaking Is
An Indirect, Two-Dimensional Art
A Collaborative Process
An Art of Multiple Originals
An Art Form
A Technical Process
Practice ART MATTERS 7.1 Experience a Printmaker's Expression
7.2 Relief
Woodcut
Wood Engraving
Linocut
DELVE DEEPER Color Woodcut
7.3 Intaglio
Engraving
Drypoint
Etching
Aquatint
Practice ART MATTERS 7.2 Compare an Aquatint and an Etching
7.4 Planographic
7.5 Stencil
7.6 New Directions
Nontraditional Matrices
Innovative Formats
Digital Printmaking
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Prints of Honoré Daumier

Chapter 8. Photography, Film, and Video
HOW ART MATTERS D. W. Griffith's Film The Birth of a Nation
8.1 What Photography Is
The Image-Making Properties of Light
The First Photographs
Still Cameras
An Art of Multiples
A Record or a Manipulation of the Truth
A Biased Presentation
Practice ART MATTERS 8.1 Figure Out Whether an Image Has Been Manipulated
A Series of Artistic Decisions
8.2 Different Types of Photographs
Landscape
Portrait
Photojournalism
Documentary
Artistic Expression
8.3 What Film Is
The Roots of Film
Movie Cameras
A Series of Artistic Decisions
A Collaborative and Individual Process
A Mass Medium
A Record or Manipulation of the Truth
Practice ART MATTERS 8.2 See How a Film Helped Make a Difference
8.4 Different Types of Films
Narrative versus Experimental Films
Scripted versus Documentary Films
Live-Action versus Animated Films
Films of Different Genres
8.5 What Video Is
A Technical Process
A Record or Manipulation of the Truth
An Art Form
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at The Birth of a Nation

Chapter 9. Graphic Design
HOW ART MATTERS The Graphic Design for the 2020 U.S. Census
9.1 What Graphic Design Is
A Client's Message to a Specific Audience
A Straightforward and Multiple Form of Communication
An Art Form
DELVE DEEPER The Ancient Art of Graphic Design
9.2 Components of Graphic Design
Images
Type
Layout
Practice ART MATTERS 9.1 Consider the Type on a Candy Package
9.3 Different Types of Graphic Design
Signs, Publications, and Packaging
Corporate, Nonprofit, and Government Identities
Motion Graphics and Interactive Digital Media
Practice ART MATTERS 9.2 Compare an Updated Logo with the Original
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Graphic Design for the 2020 U.S. Census

Chapter 10. Sculpture
HOW ART MATTERS Akua'mma Sculptures
10.1 What Sculpture Is
A Three-Dimensional Work of Art
An Art Form Created from Tangible Materials
Practice ART MATTERS 10.1 Examine How Gold Affects a Sculpture
A Meaningful Expression
10.2 Different Types of Sculptures
Freestanding Sculptures
Relief Sculptures
Earthworks
Installations
Practice ART MATTERS 10.2 Consider the Changing Nature of Earthworks
10.3 Traditional Sculpture Techniques
Carving
Modeling
Casting
Constructing and Assembling
DELVE DEEPER Casting Toys
Practice ART MATTERS 10.3 Explore a Sculpture Formed from Multiple Processes
10.4 New Directions in Sculpture
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at Akua'mma Sculptures

Chapter 11. Traditional Craft Media
HOW ART MATTERS The Pottery of Maria Martinez
11.1 Conflicting Definitions of Craft
Skill versus Intellect
Utility versus Appearance
Individuality versus Mass Production
Practice ART MATTERS 11.1 Consider Whether Mass-Produced Pots Are Art
Handmade Feel versus Perfection
Reflections of Societies versus Lone Visions
Craft and Art
Practice ART MATTERS 11.2 Explore How a Work Defies Definition
11.2 Clay
Clay Bodies
Forming Clay Works
Finishing and Firing Clay Works
11.3 Glass
Hot Glass Techniques
Cold Glass Techniques
11.4 Metal
Casting
Cold Working
Hot Working
11.5 Wood
11.6 Fiber
Weaving
Carpet Making
Basket Making
Quilting
Creating Works with a Surface Design
11.7 New Directions in Craft
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Pottery of Maria Martinez

Chapter 12. Architecture
HOW ART MATTERS The Pantheon
12.1 What Architecture Is
A Functional Place
A Three-Dimensional Work
A Work in an Environment
A Collaborative and Individual Art Form
An Art Form Structured to Withstand Forces
12.2 Shell Construction Methods
Load-Bearing and Corbel
Post-and-Lintel and Cantilever
Practice ART MATTERS 12.1 Explain Why a Paper Lintel Falls Down
DELVE DEEPER The Three Orders
Arch, Vault, and Dome
Practice ART MATTERS 12.2 Determine the Forces That Act on a Paper Arch
Practice ART MATTERS 12.3 Explore the Effect of a Cup's Continuous Surface
Reinforced Concrete Construction
12.3 Skeleton-and-Skin Construction Methods
Frame Construction
Suspension
Practice ART MATTERS 12.4 Consider the Two Forces That Act on a Necklace
12.4 Recent Innovations in Structures and Materials
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Pantheon

PART 4. THE HISTORY OF ART
Chapter 13. The Art of Prehistory and Ancient Civilizations in Europe and the Mediterranean
HOW ART MATTERS The Parthenon Sculptures
13.1 The Paleolithic Period
Wall Paintings
Portable Sculptures
13.2 The Neolithic Period
13.3 Mesopotamia
Sumer
Akkad
Babylonia
Assyria
Practice ART MATTERS 13.1 Compare a Contemporary Leader with an Akkadian Ruler
13.4 Egypt
The Role of Art in Promoting the Rule of the Pharaoh
Traditional Egyptian Art
Akhenaten's Revolution
Practice ART MATTERS 13.2 Compare Sculptures of Elite and Non-elite People
A Return to Tradition
13.5 Greece
The Greek Sense of Individual Identity and Status
The Role of Art in Promoting the Status of Different People
The Geometric Period
The Archaic Period
The Classical Period
The Hellenistic Period
Practice ART MATTERS 13.3 Describe the Ways That Status is Present in a Grave Stele
13.6 Rome
Roman Inclusion and Multiculturalism
The Role of Art in Creating an Inclusive Roman World
Art in the Roman Republic
Art in the Roman Empire
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Parthenon Sculptures
Connections Power, Servitude, and Ambition

Chapter 14. Early Jewish and Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval Art
HOW ART MATTERS The Lindisfarne Gospels
14.1 The Late Roman Empire
The Diverse Roman World
Christianity in the Period of Persecution
Christianity under Constantine
Practice ART MATTERS 14.1 Explore What Makes a Space Feel Sacred
14.2 The Byzantine Empire
The Emperor Justinian and the Empress Theodora
Icons and Iconoclasm
Practice ART MATTERS 14.2 Compare Images on a Chalice and an Icon
14.3 Early Medieval
The Art of Germanic People in Western Europe
Art in Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire
14.4 Romanesque
Art in Feudal Europe
The Triumph of Christianity and the Romanesque Church
DELVE DEEPER Relics and Reliquaries
Romanesque Architectural Sculpture
Romanesque Book Illustration
14.5 Gothic
The Gothic Cathedral
Practice ART MATTERS 14.3 Contrast Romanesque and Gothic Churches
Gothic Architectural Sculpture
14.6 Toward the Renaissance
Changes in Italy
Changes in the North
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Lindisfarne Gospels
Connections The Divine, Sacred Spaces, and Prayers

Chapter 15. Renaissance and Baroque Art
HOW ART MATTERS Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Paintings
15.1 The Renaissance
15.2 The Early Renaissance in Italy
Painting
Sculpture
Practice ART MATTERS 15.1 Consider How a Work Fits with the Renaissance Mentality
Architecture
15.3 The High Renaissance in Italy
Leonardo
Michelangelo
Raphael
The Renaissance in Venice
Mannerism
15.4 The Renaissance and Reformation in Northern Europe
Religious Art
Self-Portraits
The Reformation and Art
Practice ART MATTERS 15.2 Explore the Symbolism in a Painting
15.5 The Baroque
15.6 The Baroque in Italy
Painting
Practice ART MATTERS 15.3 Recognize Baroque Ideas in a Work
Architecture
Sculpture and Functional Art
15.7 The Baroque in Catholic Countries outside of Italy
Spain and Flanders
France
15.8 The Baroque in the Dutch Republic
Portraits
Still Lifes
Genre Scenes
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Sistine Chapel Paintings
Connections War, Death, and Remembrance

Chapter 16. The Art of Africa and Islam
HOW ART MATTERS The Great Mosque in Djenné, Mali
16.1 Early Africa
Rock Art
Nok
16.2 Traditional Africa
Baule
Practice ART MATTERS 16.1 Identify the Features of Traditional African Art in a Work
Bwa
Fang
Yoruba
Benin
Asante
Nguni
16.3 Islam and Art
The Principles of Islam
Common Characteristics of Islamic Art
16.4 Early Islam
The Umayyads
The Abbasids
16.5 Medieval Islam
The Mamluks
Practice ART MATTERS 16.2 Describe the Characteristics of Islamic Art in a Lamp
The Nasrids
16.6 Later Islam
The Ottomans
The Safavids
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Great Mosque in Djenné, Mali
Connections Love, Birth, and Growing Up

Chapter 17. The Art of the Pacific and the Americas
HOW ART MATTERS Hawaiian Featherwork
17.1 Australia
17.2 The Pacific Islands
Melanesia
Practice ART MATTERS 17.1 Consider the Nature of a Shield
Polynesia
17.3 North America
The Eastern Woodlands
The Great Plains
The Southwest
The Northwest Coast
17.4 Mesoamerica
Olmec
Teotihuacán
Maya
Aztec
Practice ART MATTERS 17.2 Determine the Features of Aztec Society in a Work
17.5 South America
Chavín
Nazca
Inca
Practice ART MATTERS 17.3 Explore the Role of Context in a Tunic
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at Hawaiian Featherwork
Connections Wildlife, the Land, and the Environment

Chapter 18. The Art of Asia
HOW ART MATTERS The Japanese Tea Ceremony
18.1 The Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia
The Early Indian Subcontinent
Buddhism on the Indian Subcontinent and in Southeast Asia
Hinduism in India
Practice ART MATTERS 18.1 Consider How You Can Classify a Work
Islam in India
18.2 China and Korea
Early China and Korea
Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Their Offshoots in China
Practice ART MATTERS 18.2 Identify the Philosophy that Influenced a Work
Later China
18.3 Japan
Classical Japan
Medieval Japan
Practice ART MATTERS 18.3 Describe Where You See the Influence of Two Religions on a Work
Early Modern Japan
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Connections Work, Play, and Relaxation

Chapter 19. Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Art in the West
HOW ART MATTERS Edouard Manet's The Luncheon on the Grass
19.1 The Eighteenth Century
19.2 The Rococo
Decorative Objects
A Lighthearted Painting
A Rococo Queen
19.3 Neoclassicis

























A Model of Classical and Academic Subject Matter and Style
Practice ART MATTERS 19.1 Identify the Neoclassical Features in a Work
Consistency and Changes in Later Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism in Architecture and Objects
19.4 The Nineteenth Century
19.5 Romanticism
Uncontrollable Current Events
Practice ART MATTERS 19.2 Contrast Neoclassical and Romantic Images
"Exotic, Violent" Cultures
Mysterious, Awe-Inspiring Landscapes
Combined Subject Matters
19.6 Realism
The Downtrodden
Ordinary Life
Animals
19.7 Impressionism
Focused on What We Actually See
The Name "Impressionism"
Composition, Light, and Shadow
Japanese Influence
Practice ART MATTERS 19.3 Consider Japanese Influence in a Work
19.8 Post-Impressionism and Art Nouveau
Post-Impressionism
Art Nouveau
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at The Luncheon on the Grass
Connections Art, the Artist, and the Inner Mind

Chapter 20 Modern Art in the Twentieth-Century Western World
HOW ART MATTERS The Earth-Body Works of Ana Mendieta
20.1 Expressionist Movements
Fauvism
German Expressionism
20.2 Cubism
Analytic Cubism
Synthetic Cubism
DELVE DEEPER Responses to Analytic Cubism
20.3 European Art after World War I
Dada
Surrealism
Practice ART MATTERS 20.1 Explain Why a Work Is Classified as Dada
De Stijl
The Bauhaus
The International Style
Practice ART MATTERS 20.2 Consider a Work in the "Degenerate Art" Exhibition
20.4 Art in the United States
Regionalism
Social Realism
The Harlem Renaissance
20.5 The New York School
Action Painting
Color Field Painting
Practice ART MATTERS 20.3 Explore the Work of a Color Field Artist
20.6 Art and Reality
Assemblages
Environments/Installations
Happenings
Pop Art
20.7 Pushing the Boundaries of Art
Minimalism
Conceptual Art
Performance Art
Earthworks
20.8 Combatting Prejudice
Feminist Art
Black Protest Art
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Earth-Body Works of Ana Mendieta
Connections Suffering, Health, and Survival

Chapter 21 Art Since 1980
HOW ART MATTERS The Art of Yinka Shonibare MBE
21.1 The Postmodern Period
21.2 Art of Different Media
Architecture
Painting
Diverse Media
Practice ART MATTERS 21.1 Explain Why an Installation Is Postmodern
21.3 Protest Art
Art That Protests Social, Political, and Environmental Concerns
Art That Looks at How Images and Words Establish Power
Practice ART MATTERS 21.2 Explore How Museums Influence Our Views
21.4 Art That Draws on Prior Work
Art That Directly Appropriates Prior Art
Art That Uses Prior Work as a Point of Departure
21.5 The Contemporary Global World
21.6 Art of Diverse People
Referencing Diverse Identities
Defying Stereotypes
Addressing Social Issues
21.7 Art of a Global World
Representing Global Communities
Practice ART MATTERS 21.3 Describe How a Work Represents Global Communities
Illustrating Our Connected World
Giving a Voice to Global Issues and Concerns
HOW ART MATTERS A Look Back at the Art of Yinka Shonibare MBE
Connections Identity, Discrimination, and Social Ties
Glossary
Endnotes
Credits
Index