The Art of Understanding Art: A Behind the Scenes Story

Description

The 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. Offers an inquiry—unique among introductory art texts—into the learning process of understanding and appreciating artExamines the multiple issues and processes essential to making, analyzing and evaluating artUses cross-cultural examples to help readers develop comprehensive, yet personal, ways of looking at and thinking about artIncludes an annotated glossary of the 'Art World', institutions and individuals that play a role in defining art as well as diagrams, textboxes callouts and other visual elements to highlight information and enhance learningRichly illustrated with over 40 imagesSuggests innovative class assignments and projects useful for developing lesson plans, and offers an online companion site for additional illustrations and information The Art of Understanding Art......Page 5 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 15 Why Should Art Matter to You? A Message to Art Beginners......Page 17 Introduction: What Is Art?......Page 18 Navigating the Book: A User’s Guide......Page 23 Why Is Art Made? The Purposes of Art: A Brief Overview from A to Z......Page 26 The Anatomy of a Work of Art......Page 34 Part One: Making Art......Page 35 Artists and Creators......Page 37 Originality, Authorship, Authenticity......Page 38 Appropriations......Page 42 Attributions and Studio Practices......Page 43 Collaborations......Page 45 Artists and Artisans......Page 46 Anonymous Artists......Page 47 Self-Reflections......Page 48 The Formative Years: Education, Family Life, and Personal Values......Page 49 Private Patronage......Page 51 Religious Patronage......Page 52 State, City, and Community Patronage......Page 53 Today’s Patronage: Corporations, Institutions, Foundations, and Grants......Page 54 Notes......Page 55 2: Environment, Materials, and Other Resources......Page 56 Natural Resources......Page 57 Climate......Page 58 Dialogues between the Environment and Art......Page 59 Materials and Artistic Values......Page 61 The Attributes of Materials......Page 62 Materials as Sources for Meaning......Page 63 “Unusual” Art Materials......Page 65 The Body as Art Material......Page 66 Tools and Technology......Page 68 Other Resources: Knowledge and Information......Page 70 Notes......Page 71 3: Context......Page 72 Artistic Context......Page 73 Art Organizations, Institutions, and Events......Page 74 Culture, Science, and Ideas......Page 75 Historical Context and Current Events......Page 77 Political Context......Page 78 Religious Context......Page 81 Societal Context......Page 82 The Mass Media......Page 83 Moral Values......Page 84 Social Context......Page 85 Notes......Page 86 Conclusion to Part One......Page 87 Part Two: Disseminating Art......Page 89 Museums......Page 91 Collections and Foundations......Page 101 Galleries......Page 102 Academic-Affiliated Art Institutions......Page 104 Public Art......Page 105 Propaganda Art......Page 106 The Art Market and other Financial Matters......Page 107 Art Patrons, Collectors, Dealers, and Sponsors......Page 108 Artists and Business......Page 109 Notes......Page 110 Publications, Presentations, and Lectures......Page 111 Books, Catalogues, and Periodicals (Articles, Essays, and Reviews)......Page 112 Lectures, Courses, and Presentations......Page 113 Films, Documentaries, and DVDs......Page 114 The Web......Page 116 Art and Popular Culture......Page 118 Today’s Art World......Page 120 The Decontextualization of Art......Page 121 Original Context and Contemporary Times......Page 122 Summary......Page 123 Conclusion to Part Two......Page 124 Part Three: Analyzing Art......Page 125 6: Visual Resources Used to Analyze Art......Page 127 Form and Content......Page 128 The Physical Condition of the Work of Art......Page 132 Originals and Reproductions......Page 134 The Preservation and Conservation of Art......Page 135 Visual Documentation and Research......Page 137 Artistic and Visual Context of the Time......Page 138 New Art/Archaeological Discoveries......Page 139 Symbols in Art......Page 140 Summary......Page 141 Notes......Page 142 7: Textual and Other Resources Used to Analyze Art......Page 143 Archival Material......Page 144 Artists’ Letters, Notes, and Statements......Page 145 Secondary Textual Sources......Page 148 Original Context and History......Page 149 Today’s Art History, Criticism, and Context......Page 150 Online and Other Sources......Page 151 “Conventional” Art Comparisons......Page 153 Cross-Chronological and Cross-Cultural Comparisons......Page 157 Visual Culture and Interdisciplinary Comparisons......Page 158 Notes......Page 159 Identifying the Category of “Art”......Page 160 The Roots of Art Classification......Page 163 Chronology and Artistic Periods......Page 164 Fine Art/High Art......Page 166 Painting, Drawings, Prints, and Sculptures......Page 167 Mixed Media......Page 168 New Media......Page 169 Multimedia......Page 170 “Minor Arts”......Page 171 Architecture......Page 172 “Low” Art and Popular Culture......Page 173 “Outsider” Art......Page 174 Visual and Material Culture......Page 175 Conclusion to Part Three......Page 176 Part Four: Interpreting Art......Page 177 9: Interpreting Art Criteria and Values......Page 179 Preconceived Ideas about Art......Page 180 Modern Art and the Audience......Page 182 Artistic Values and Art Appreciation......Page 184 The Avant-Garde......Page 186 Modernism and Global Traditions......Page 187 System of Values......Page 188 Multiculturalism......Page 189 System of Values......Page 190 Understanding Images......Page 191 Looking at and Interpreting Art......Page 192 Notes......Page 195 10: Methodologies of Art......Page 196 Biography/Autobiography......Page 197 Connoisseurship......Page 198 Context......Page 199 Deconstruction......Page 200 Formalism and Style......Page 201 Gender......Page 202 Multiculturalism......Page 203 Psychoanalysis......Page 204 Semiotics......Page 205 Visual Culture......Page 206 Art Interpretation: Case Study......Page 207 Notes......Page 213 Conclusion......Page 214 Appendix 1: The Art World......Page 216 Appendix 2: Creative Assignments and Writing Projects......Page 223 Appendix 3: Glossary......Page 228 Appendix 4: “tools of the trade” Diagram: Form and Content (1-5) and Art Media (6-8)......Page 244 List of Figures and Color Plates......Page 252 Bibliography......Page 254 Index......Page 261