Description
Book SynopsisThe Art of Understanding Art reveals to students and other readers new and meaningful ways of developing personal ideas and opinions about art and how to express them with confidence.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xiii
Why Should Art Matter to You ? A Message to Art Beginners xv
Introduction: What Is Art? xvi
Navigating the Book: A User’s Guide xxi
Why Is Art Made? The Purposes of Art: A Brief Overview from A to Z xxiv
The Anatomy of a Work of Art xxxii
Part One Making Art 1
1 Artists and Patrons 3
Artists and Creators 3
Originality, Authorship, Authenticity 4
Appropriations 8
Attributions and Studio Practices 9
Collaborations 11
Artists and Multiple Works 12
Artists and Artisans 12
Anonymous Artists 13
The Creative Process: Inspiration and Influences 14
Self-Reflections 14
The Formative Years: Education, Family Life, and Personal Values 15
Patronage 17
Private Patronage 17
Religious Patronage 18
Royal Patronage 19
State, City, and Community Patronage 19
Today’s Patronage: Corporations, Institutions, Foundations, and Grants 20
Summary 21
Notes 21
2 Environment, Materials, and Other Resources 22
Environment 23
Natural Resources 23
Location 24
Climate 24
Dialogues between the Environment and Art 25
Materials, Tools, and Technology 27
Materials and Artistic Values 27
The Attributes of Materials 28
The “Purity” of Materials and Mixed Media 29
Materials as Sources for Meaning 29
“Unusual” Art Materials 31
Found Objects 32
The Body as Art Material 32
Tools and Technology 34
Other Resources: Knowledge and Information 36
Summary 37
Notes 37
3 Context 38
Cultural Context 39
Artistic Context 39
Art Organizations, Institutions, and Events 40
Culture, Science and Ideas 41
Historical, Political, and Religious Context 43
Historical Context and Current Events 43
Political Context 44
Religious Context 47
Societal Context 48
Everyday Life 49
The Mass Media 49
Moral Values 50
Social Context 51
Summary 52
Notes 52
Conclusion to Part One 53
Part Two Disseminating Art 55
4 The Dissemination of Original Art 57
Institutions 57
Museums 57
Collections and Foundations 67
Galleries 68
Academic-Affiliated Art Institutions 70
Beyond Institutional Walls 71
Alternative Spaces 71
Public Art 71
Propaganda Art 72
Art and Business 73
The Art Market and other Financial Matters 73
Art Patrons, Collectors, Dealers, and Sponsors 74
Artists and Business 75
Summary 76
Notes 76
5 The Dissemination of Art through Reproductions, and Other Issues 77
Publications, Presentations, and Lectures 78
Books, Catalogues, and Periodicals (Articles, Essays, and Reviews) 78
Lectures, Courses, and Presentations 79
The Mass Media 80
Films, Documentaries, and DVDs 80
The Web 82
Art and Popular Culture 84
Today’s Art World 86
The Decontextualization of Art 87
Original Context and Contemporary Times 88
“The Art World” 89
Summary 89
Notes 90
Conclusion to Part Two 90
Part Three Analyzing Art 91
6 Visual Resources Used to Analyze Art 93
The Work of Art 94
Form and Content 94
The Physical Condition of the Work of Art 98
Originals and Reproductions 100
The Preservation and Conservation of Art 101
Scientific Tools 103
Visual Documentation and Research 103
Artists’ “Body of Work” (Oeuvre) 104
Artistic and Visual Context of the Time 104
Drawings, Architectural Plans, and other Visual Resources 105
New Art/Archaeological Discoveries 105
Symbols in Art 106
Summary 107
Notes 108
7 Textual and Other Resources Used to Analyze Art 109
Primary Textual Sources 110
Archival Material 110
Artists’ Letters, Notes, and Statements 111
Provenance 114
Secondary Textual Sources 114
Art-Historical Literature 115
Original Context and History 115
Today’s Art History, Criticism, and Context 116
Additional Resources for Research 117
Art Institutions and Exhibitions 117
Online and Other Sources 117
Comparisons 119
“Conventional” Art Comparisons 119
Cross-Chronological and Cross-Cultural Comparisons 123
Visual Culture and Interdisciplinary Comparisons 124
Summary 125
Notes 125
8 A Critical Examination of Art Classification 126
Reflections on Art Classification 126
Identifying the Category of “Art” 126
The Roots of Art Classification 129
Criteria for Art Classification 130
Chronology and Artistic Periods 130
Media 132
Fine Art/High Art 132
Painting, Drawings, Prints, and Sculptures 133
Photography 134
Mixed Media 134
New Media 135
Multimedia 136
Graphic Arts 137
“Minor Arts” 137
Decorative Arts 138
Crafts 138
Architecture 138
Other Categories 139
“Low” Art and Popular Culture 139
“Outsider” Art 140
Naïve and Folk Art 141
Vernacular Art 141
Visual and Material Culture 141
Summary 142
Notes 142
Conclusion to Part Three 142
Part Four Interpreting Art 143
9 Interpreting Art: Criteria and Values 145
Preconceived Ideas about Art 146
Modern Art and the Audience 148
Artistic Values and Art Appreciation 150
Modernism 152
The Avant-Garde 152
The Modernist Artist 153
Modernism and Global Traditions 153
Originality and the Original 154
System of Values 154
Postmodernism 155
Multiculturalism 155
Originality and the Original (Imitation/Appropriation/Re-purposing) 156
The Postmodern Artist 156
System of Values 156
Interpreting Art: Getting Started 157
Understanding Images 157
Looking at and Interpreting Art 158
Summary 161
Notes 161
10 Methodologies of Art 162
Introduction to Art Methodologies 163
Biography/Autobiography 163
Connoisseurship 164
Context 165
Deconstruction 166
Feminism 167
Formalism and Style 167
Gender 168
Iconography 169
Multiculturalism 169
Postcolonialism 170
Psychoanalysis 170
Semiotics 171
Structuralism/Poststructuralism 172
Visual Culture 172
Art Interpretation: Case Study 173
Summary 179
Notes 179
Conclusion 180
Appendix 1 The Art World 182
Appendix 2 Creative Assignments and Writing Projects 189
Appendix 3 Glossary 194
Appendix 4 “Tools of the Trade” Diagrams: Form and Content (1–5) and Art Media (6–8) 210
List of Figures and Color Plates 218
Bibliography 220
Index 227
