Art Simplified (2023)

Art simplified
A short guide to the Introduction to Art
by students at Eastlake High School

Learning outside

the box
Greetings from Eastlake High School
This zine is dedicated to introduce the world of art, we as a class Art 104 came together and made a
book that goes into depth about the different aspects of Art. Different ideas are implied to explain the
wide variation of expressions. Art can be seen in everything, nothing is discr of expressions. Art can be
seen in everything, nothing is discriminated.iminated.

Connecting the

Why a zine?
dots
Zines are much easier to create and use because they allow
individuals to express themselves freely and independently
without acquiring the same level of resources as traditional
magazines. A zine is a self-published, small-circulation
magazine that covers various topics like art, music, or
personal stories.
A Brief History on Zines?

A Message from the Instructor
Making the impossible
Through creating this zine, my hope is that you can approach learning outside-the-box, and that if you decide to go
to college you take part of your own education by asking questions about how you learn. The purpose of the zine
was open your mind to different ways of learning.
This zine is about community. Its about understanding each others needs and providing a web of support. To be
honest about what we need from the class, how it aligns with personal goals, and to help each other through the
steps. Through your participation you help to reduce the workload and increase learning.
The function of the zine is to give everyone a fair chance to learn and pass the class, because learning shouldn’t be
about who is better or worse, its about why learning is relevant to life. Some of you may or may not be artist in the
future, but through this class, when you see a work of art you think of something you learned from this class.
I have deep gratitude to the students of ART104 Introduction to Art at Eastlake High School. Thank you for
reminding me just how difficult it can be to be in high school and why I continue to fight for the education you
deserve. I believe that learning should be centered around the individual and see this zine as proof of that success.
With Respect, Rizz

This Zine was produced with the support of
Lois Fichner-Rathus’ textbook Understanding Art
possible
together
Jalicia Franco
Karlie Guardado
Alexa Hernandez
Jeffrey Hobson
Sophia Johnson
Alex Kim
Savannah King
Ammar Mahsud
Kendrick Manlap
Miguel Martinez
Dominic Peralta
Dianalyn Rabago
Katya Rosales
Karly Rust
Soraya Sandoval
Rylan Scharman
Kyelin Alexis Straukas
Natalie Tscherch
Ivy Vo
Jana Yacoub
Eric Yang
Mateo Zaldivar

What does learning look like to you?
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
find out what

ART104 Community Agreements
A community agreement is how we decide to build a safe space for learning
it means to you
When someone is speaking the other person listens
Give everyone a chance to participate
Remaining silent during presentations or quizzes, unless a discussion is encouraged
Maintain positivity in class
Treating others with respect
Be respectful
Personal attacks such as name calling or abuse shouldn’t be tolerated
Judgment free of everyone's responses
Taking a 10 minute break every class to allow people to refocus
Respecting others privacy
Display focus
Be open-minded to everyone’s different viewpoints
Be respectful and pay attention to your fellow classmates and teacher
Respecting other classmate’s boundaries on various topics/subjects
Do not be judgmental towards classmates questions in class discussions
Taking breaks during class to refocus
Be open to what you could learn from other students in the class
Be accountable for your actions

Table of Contents

UNDERSTANDING ART
FORM:
Refers to the totality of a composition or design
the arrangement or organization of all of its
visual elements
Provides substance to a SUBJECT or idea
Utilizes visual strategies and pictorial devices to
express and communicate
Form represents the how and what of any
presented art
STYLE:
Distinctive mode of expression
based on how an artist controls
their own mediums and techniques
MEDIUMS AND TECHNIQUES:
A MEDIUM is any physical substance
utilized by an artist
TECHNIQUES are specific methods in which
mediums are handled
CONTENT:
Refers to a work’s array of intangible
aspects: the emotional, intellectual,
psychological, symbolic elements
Represents the “why” in a work of art
Architecture is rich in content in the
materials and technical means used
Content can imply the matter of a
SUBJECT
ICONOGRAPHY:
The study of themes and symbolsfigures
and images
VISUAL ELEMENS AND
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:
Line, Shape, Value, Color, Texture, Space,
Time and Motion
Unity, Variety, Emphasis, Focal Point,
Balance, Rhythm, Proportion
SUBJECT:
The subject is the what of a work of art—people, places, things, themes, processes, events, ideas.
It’s recognizable/reflects some sort of visual experience.
Specific categories of subjects are called GENRES.
GENRES include religious or mythological subjects, historical subjects, portraiture, still life,
landscape, nonobjective art, and more.
A SUBJECT is much more than a recognizable representation of a tangible thing.
Chapter 1: Understanding Art
Chapter notes by: Natalie Tscherch

UNDERSTANDING ART
ABSTRACTION:
Defined as art that does not imitate or clearly
represent visible reality
The complete opposite of realism
NONOBJECTIVE ART:
Does not begin with objects in the visible world
The artist creates compositions from the elements of art—
line, shape, color, texture, and so on
REALISM:
Refers to the replication—through artistic means
—of people and things as they are seen by the eye
or really thought to be, without idealization,
without distortion
Can cater to realistic interpretations of humans
and nature
EXPRESSIONISM:
A style that reflects a subjective, “inner world”—
a style that conveys the psychological and
emotional state of the artist
Uses the distortion and exaggeration of form,
color, brushwork, texture, and other elements
Chapter 1: Understanding Art
Chapter notes by: Natalie Tscherch
An image of Kandinsky's “Composition VII”,
encompassing the vital principles of design and his
ability to create conceptual art without a tangible
object fabricated by the artist.

Value- the value of a color is
determined by the amount of
light reflected by the color.
Value can help in evoking a
certain mood or feeling.
Value Contrast: refers to
the degrees of difference
between shades of grays
(the darkness and
lightness of a piece).
High Contrast→ darker
blacks and brighter whites
Low Contrast → middle
grays
Low-Key V High Key Values-
The key value of an art piece
can suggest mood. Art pieces
with a low-key value range
move towards black which
creates a somber or relaxing,
dark or moody sensation. Art
pieces with high-key value
ranges that move toward white
on the contrast scale are
perceived as uplifting and
stimulating, light and dreamy.
Light and Color
Chiaroscuro- is the
distribution of light and
dark in a piece. It is a
technique that helps
create 3-D objects.
Tenebrism- a technique
that emphasizes the
effects of chiaroscuro.
Darkness becomes the
dominating feature of the
image.
Highlight-When
lighting is the
harshest
The twelve-point wheel—a
method of orga-nizing color
relationships
Three primary
pigment colors—red,
blue, and yellow from
which all colors can be
derived
HUE- Simply defined, hue
is pure, unadulterated
color
adding white produces
tints
Mixing gray with a color
can create a variety of
tones.
Intensity and saturationare
synonymous terms that
describe the brightness
or dullness of a color.
Color Schemes-
Planned combinations
of color
Complementary
color schemesare
based on colors
that are across from
one another on the
color wheel—colors that
“tug” equally at the eye
COLOR-
The brain interprets different light waves of of
varying lengths as different colors
Color is an expressive tool, emotional
association of color.
Red is rage, blue is sad, white is fright, etc.
Created by: Karlie Guardado

LINE and Shape
LINE
An infinite amount of lines exist,
while literally or theoretically. Such
as the line of sight, dotted lines,
physical lines, any moving point
from one point to another. Lines
can be curved, used to add texture
and depth to a painting
SHAPE
Contains an area of composition,
it being recognized by
associations. These shapes can
be natural, abstract, geometric or
made to be unrecognizable.
Shapes are made of compositions
of lines.
Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper (1968). Usage of
lines as shading and depth.
Measures & Quality of Line
Can be any size, length, width, thickness, any point
of direction
Actual, Implied Psychological
Lines
Lines can be physically present, implied, a sense of
movement within the piece. They can express
emotion depending of the stroke of line. Lines are
psychological, having a invisible linear path in
order to create connections within a piece
Directionality of Line
Vertical, horizontal, diagonal, sometimes defy
gravity
Outline and Contour Line
A concrete boundary, and a percieved line that gives the illusion
of the painting being 3D
Line value and Shape
pes of shading such as cross-hatching- lines crossed, stippling- several
dots, hatching- spaced parallel lines.
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907.
Usage of lines, abstract and geometric shapes.
I. M. Pei, Pyramid at the Louvre, Paris, France. The
usage of geometric shapes in arcitecture.
Form
Generally used to describe 3D shapes, texture,
design, balance ,rhythm
Volume & Mass
The containment, the amount of space. The bulk
of the shape
Geometric
Shapes generally seen in mathematics, such as:
triangles, rectangles
Organic
Shapes that are seen in nature, natural curves and
edges, natural curves and edges
Non objective, Abstract and
Shapelessness
Make no reference to reality, no exact association
Positive and Negative Shapes, Figure and Ground
Refers to the figure and the area that surrounds the figure. Creates a dynamic and a
focal point within the piece.
Shape as Icon
Some shapes are so influential that they carry immediate associations, such as
logos, objects, products and even public figures. Public figures facial features are
simplified to recognizable shapes.

TEXTURE AND PATTERN
TEXTURE
Texture derives from Latin for
“weaving”
Texture describes the surface character
of woven fabrics and other materials as
experienced primarily through the
sense of touch
Artists create illusion of texture in twodimensional
art forms such as drawing
or painting
Texture is described as actual or visual
PATTERN
Pattern is design based on the
repetition or grouping of elements such
as line, shape, color, or texture
A pattern on a flat surface may be
enriched by contrasts in visual texture
Texture can be used in concert with
pattern to make an art piece more
visually appealing
Actual Texture
Actual texture is actually related to the
materials used to create the work
Your fingertips register sensations: rough,
smooth, sharp, hard, or soft, which all
describe actual texture
Chapter 4: Texture & Pattern
Chapter notes by Dominic Peralta
Visual Texture
Visual texture is the illusion of an actual
texture
The illusion can be so convincing that it is
tempting to reach out and touch the work
to reconcile that which the eyes see with
what the brain knows
Invented texture is a version of visual
texture that makes no reference to visible
reality

Over
Lapping
Chapter 5: “Space, Time & Motion”
Chapter notes by Ammar Mahsud
Space Time & Motion
Actual Space:
Space is considered an important element of art
Freestanding Sculpture: A sculpture one can walk around and it takes up three
dimensional space
Creating The Illusion Of Space:
Actual space refers to the dimension in which we live and move
Implied Space/Pictorial Space: Illusionistic space of a two dimensional
composition
-> Such is created through the use of artist’s devices. Ex) relative size,
overlapping, transparency, perspective, vertical positioning
Relative Size:
Ex) The farther an object is from your eyes, the smaller it appears
Artists use it to vary size of objects
-> Can highlight importance of certain objects as compared to others
Overlapping:
Relative size and Overlapping work hand in hand
Useful if there is not enough space (can show the limited space)
Also useful if there isn’t much space between the objects in a piece of art
Used frequently in still life compositions, and to show relationships between
objects
Location:
Location(Vertical Positioning) is used to signify depth
Different from other devices, relies on viewers perception
Atmospheric Perspective:
Atmospheric perspective(aerial perspective) is a technique to illustrate
depth, but incorporates different gradients, saturations, and interplay of
colors
Artists will create depth in such a way, by altering the texture of objects
depending on how close they are
One-Point Perspective:
System that allows artist to display three-dimensional world onto a twodimensional
surface
This is done by accurately representing the size of objects in the depth of the
receding space

Linear Perspective:
Formal system used by artists to convey three-dimensional objects in two dimensional space
The goal is to recrate the same perceptions as that in a three dimensional space by viewing through a vantage point
As objects recede from the viewers vision, and eventually vanish, the point they reach is the vanishing point
Horizon: Imaginary line where the earth and sky meet
Two-Point Perspective:
Used to represent the recession of an object that are seen from an angle
Optical and Conceptual Representation:
Optical Representation: Representation of figures and objects from a singular vantage point
Conceptual Representation: Distinctive characteristics of figures and objects as viewed from many different
perspectives
Combination of these different perspectives and other perspectives is called a composite view or twisted perspective
Multiple Perspectives:
The use of multiple perspectives can create a fuller and more complete visual of an impression of art, as compared to
a narrow view
Such thoughts were a part of the Futurist Movement ( Futurists thought that the subject of their work was less
important than the “dynamic sensation” of their work”
Time and Motion:
Futurists moved this incorporation of Time and Motion
They focused on the incorporation of motion in art
Their work represents an exaggeration of motion in art
Actual Motion:
Artists incorporate such motion to make static images convert into active images
This has been termed to modern day kinetic art, dealing with motion
Multiplication of Images and Blurred Lines:
Rapid movement creates a sense of Blurriness
Such blurring outlines creates an illusion of motion
Such can be recreated by creating multiple exposures of a picture
Implied Motion:
In art, implied motion in a figure can be suggested by the tensing of muscles
It may also suggest that a change in the position or location of elements is occurring.
Optical Sensation:
Optical sensations are created by repetition of line and shape and the manipulation of high-contrast values and
complementary colors
Implied Time:
Motion occurs over time, so they are both related
Implied time is the portrayal of the passage or duration of time

Principles of Design:
Composition- The act of organizing the visual elements to effect a
desired aesthetic in a work of art
Unity- Is a oneness or wholeness. A work of art exhibits unity when its
parts seem necessary to the composition as a whole and can be
suggested with similar elements such as grids, shapes, and colors.
The line Is a common way of unifying the components or elements of a
composition or to lead the viewer's eyes along a visual
Unity with Variety:
When work has a strong sense of unity that is interrupted by other
elements that diverge from the predominant compositional scheme, we
say it exhibits Variety with Unity.
Artists often use a variety with unity, eitherr instinctively or in a
conscious effort to stimulate interest and amplify the complexity of a
work.
Variety draws out the relationships that unify the composition.
Disunity is akin to sensory overload or, put another way, compositional
chaos.
ARTISTS USE FOCAL points and emphasis to draw attention to specific
parts of a composition to reinforce certain themes or to create visual
impact.
These tools to create emphasis include focal points, isolation,
placement, and contrasts between static and dynamic elements and
between straight and curving lines.
Balance creates a sense of stability. Artists may choose imbalance over
balance or chaotic, disruptive rhythms in their compositions to
penetrate the viewer’s comfort zone, to challenge the conventional and
predictable,
or to convey a certain message. Symmetry refers to the similarity
of form or arrangement on either side of a dividing line or plane, or to
the correspondence of parts in size, shape, and position.
Balance
contrast
Types of Rhythm:
Rhythm in the arts is created by repetition,
and repetitive patterns convey a sense of
movement.
An alternating rhythm occurs when different elements
in a work of art or architecture are repeated in a regular,
predictable order
progressive rhythm, in which the rhythm of elements of a work of art such
as shape, texture, or color change slightly as they move, or progress,
toward a defined point in the composition.
Scale refers to the size of a work or a form in relation/compared to the
average size of a human being.
describes the size of objects in relation to others like them or to things
around them.
Proportion is the relationship of size between various components within
one whole object.
example could be the proportion of the eyes, nose, and mouth inside a
face.
Golden rules:
The Golden Mean requires that a small part of a work should relate to a
larger part of the work, just as a larger part relates to the whole.
A Golden Rectangle can be created from any square mathematically—that
is, by adding a rectangle whose longer side is 1.6180 times the length of
the shorter side.
The root five rectangle length of the rectangle is 2.236 (the square root of
5) times the width of the rectangle.
For the Greeks, the Golden Rectangle and Root Five Rectangle represented
the most pleasing dimensions and proportions of a rectangle; they became
the basis for many temple designs
repetition
& rhythm
unity

Painting
The primary aspect of painting is applying
liquid material to a surface with an
implement
liquid material-pigment
implement-brush
surface- two dimensional
-almost no limits
Componets of Paint
-Liquid coverted to solid when applied to
surface
-Must be combined with a binding agent or
vehicle in its powdered form
-vehicles can be wax, plaster, egg yolk, oil, or
water
-the pliability and fluency of the paint
depends on the medium
-the medium is a liquid material such as water
or turpentine
Types of
Painting
PALEOLITHIC: 30,000 years ago, created
with black pigment and red ocher, painted of
papyrus and linen
GOLDEN AGE/RENISSANCE: murals, wood
panels, more affordable to produce, can be
bought by masses.
FRESCO: painting on a platter, Buon/True
fresco is on damp lime plaster, pigments are
mixed with only water, lime of the plaster
wall acts as a vehicle, as the wall dries the
painted image becomes permanent. Fresco
secco is a less permanent method where the
pigments are combined with a vehicle of
glue to affix color to dry wall.
ENCAUSTIC: mixture of ground pigments
and wax, applied to a prepared surface like a
carving, sculpture, wall
TEMPERA: popular for centuries, use dates
back to Greeks and romans, exclusive
technique for medieval time period, no
longer used in 1300's due to introduction of
oil painting, ground pigments mixed with a
vehicle of egg yolk back then but now refers
to pigment combined with emulsions of milk,
different types of glues and gums, or the sap
from trees, extremely durable, dries quickly
so hard to blend, precise brushwork, brilliant
colors
OIL PAINT: powdered pigments combined
with a linseed oil vehicle and turpentine
medium, popular, broad capability, slowdrying,
applied with an array of brushes and
knives, rich colors.
ACRYLIC: pigment and plastic vehicle that
can be thinned with water, vehicle dries
colorlessly so the pigment is brilliant, can be
used on a variety of surfaces
WATERCOLOR & GOUACHE: vehicle and
medium are water, tempera and fresca
included, aquarelle (tranparent films of
paint paint applied to white surface),
appeared in 15th century, layering obscures
underlayers of color, cannot rework/correct,
fresh and delicate, gouache is watercolor of
vehicle and an opaque ingredient
Paint structure and
technique
LONG DRYING TIME (oil): more time to
rework imperfections, and blend things,
apply glazes, rework surfaces,
DRIES QUICKLY (acrylic): artist must
work rapidly, once the paint is dry it
cannot be reworked, distinct but not
subject to color blending.
SPRAY PAINT: contemporary graffiti
artists, complexity of the work and the
social atmosphere from which it is
derived may not be common
knowledge, many consider it defecation
of property rather than art, some
graffiti artists end up working in
galleries, diffuse spray technique that
adds dimensionality to an array of
otherwise flat objects.
MIXED MEDIA: Contemporary painters
have in many cases combined
traditional painting techniques with
other materials, or they have painted
on nontraditional supports, stretching
the definition of what has usually been
considered painting, to incorporate
pieces of newsprint, wallpaper, labels
from wine bottles, and oilcloth into
their paintings. These works were
called papiers collés and have come to
be called collages.

Drawing
drawing is the
result of running
an implement
over a surface and
leaving some
trace, some
maker’s mark
Artists Sketch
Sketchbook serves as a way
for artists to “note
everything”
Sketches are a more
concrete notion of what the
final product will look like
Chapter 7 - Drawing
Chapter notes by
Jeffrey Hobson
Different forms of drawing
throughout the years
(Charcoal, Paper napkins, and
gunpowder ignited by a fuse)
Many artists enjoy the sheer
spontaneity of drawing,
tracing a pencil or piece of
chalk across a sheet of paper
to capture directly their
thoughts
Types of Drawings
monochromatic
or color, scant
traces or fully
executed works,
thumbnail
sketches or fullscale
mock-ups
used to transfer
images to walls,
ceilings, or large
canvases
Dry mediums include metal point, pencil, charcoal, chalk, pastel,
and wax crayon
Metalpoint (Used in the Middle Ages, dragging a silver-tipped
implement over a surface that has been coated with a base layer
The pencil can produce a wide range of effects (can create thin
and light strokes, thick and dark strokes, shading, and more)
Charcoal (Used by Stone Age ancestors, crumbly piece of burnt
wood or bone, smudged or rubbed to create a hazy effect)
Colored Pencils (Consist of wax-like cores with pigment, create
strokes like a pencil but with pigment)
Chalk, Pastel, and Crayon (Chalk and pastel consist of pigment
and a binder, Wax crayons, like pastels, combine ground
pigment with a binder)
Fluid Mediums
Pen and Ink (metal nib, slipped into a wooden stylus and dipped
into a well of ink, drawings are essentially linear, although the
nature of the lines can vary considerably according to the qualities
of the instrument)
Brush and Ink (quality of line in brush-and-ink drawing will depend
on whether the brush is bristle or nylon, thin or thick, pointed or
flat tipped, characteristics of the drawing surface, such as texture
or absorbency, will affect the look and feel of the completed
drawing
Cartoons
Originally, cartoons
were full-scale
preliminary drawings
done on paper
Modern cartoons rely
on caricature, the
flagrant exaggeration
and distortion of
natural features and
have long been
vehicles for social
commentary,
consciousness raising,
and political activism
Alternate Art Styles
Cai Guo-Qiang is
renowned for his
works of ephemeral
art, a contemporary
genre best described
as transitory and
impermanent
Mia Pearlman’s
complex, threedimensional,
cutpaper
drawings begin
with shapes rendered
in India ink

Printmaking
There are four main types:
Goal: to quickly reproduce works of art, making them
accessible for the general public to view and study!
3) Lithography - the technique of applying crayon, nitric
acid, and water to a stone slab for ink to attract/repel into
an image, which is then printed onto paper.
1) Relief - a matrix is carved, with an image left on the raised sections.
As ink is applied, it only covers the raised portion, making an image
which can then be transferred to paper.
2) Intaglio - the opposite of relief printmaking; ink seeps into the
grooves of a metal matrix and forced onto paper with the use of
immense pressure, usually from a printing press.
4) Serigraphy - the use of silk mesh to push ink onto an image.
additionally there is monotype, or the use of the original
print/design which is rubbed onto another page
and Graphic Design
Common elements of
graphic design include:
Layout: a method of organizing ideas which is aesthetically
pleasing and easy to digest (an example of this is this zine!).
Typography: a method of writing and designing letters;
includes manipulating their size, font, color, etc.
(Relief Printmaking)
(Serigraphy)
Goal: to communicate ideas through
different types of writing, images,
and symbols!
Logo: a design which easily identifies a company or group,
favoring simplicity and memorability over everything.
Chapter 9, Printmaking and Graphic Design
Chapter notes by Kendrick Manlapaz

Film: A thin sheet of protective and photosensitive
layers. The active layers contain small,
photosensitive particles that are able to be treated
and eventually converted into images.
Portraits: Though similar in premise, the
portrait from a camera had equalized social
classes, allowing the capture of one’s self or
family to be expanded just from paintings.
Photojournalism:
The method of
documenting
events through the
capturing of
images and scenes
during such events
STANLEY KUBRIK, Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Photography: Derived
from Greek, meaning “to
write with light”
Digital Arts: The creation of
images and art pieces with the
assistance of computers. This
digital media can range from
websites to video games. These
programs can imitate physical art
of all kinds.
STANLEY KUBRIK, 2001, a Space Odessey (1968)
Video: The capture of multiple images in a specific
manner in order to create a moving picture. With
video, sights and sounds are both digitized.
FRANCIS FORD CAPOLLA, The Godfather (1972)
HIDETAKA MIYAZAKI, Elden Ring (2022)

Sculpture, Installation and Site-Spec
Carving
Considered the most demanding type of sculpture
because the sculptor must have a clear
conception of the final product.
Carving: the sculptor begins with a block of
material and cuts segments off until they reach
their preferred form.
The material chosen like stone and wood greatly
influences the mechanics of the carving process
and determines the final product.
site-spec
Works produces in or for one location and
in not to be relocated
Modeling
Shaping pliable material into a three-dimensional
form.
Unlike carving the artist may work and rework the
material until the desired form is achieved.
Sculpture
Not all sculptures are three-dimensional
There are 2 types of sculptures
Relief sculpture
free-standing sculptures/ sculpture-in-the-round
Relief sculpture: figures or images project to varying
degrees from a two-dimensional plane.
Free-standing sculpture: is not connected to a twodimensional
surface usually carved, cast or
assembled.
Sculptures are made with two basic processes
Subtractive process: material is removed from the
original mass to define the figure.
Additive process: material is added or built up to
achieve the desired shape.
Installation
Can be temporary or permanent
Can also be site specific to transform the
perception of a gallery
An artistic medium of 3-D works
Chapter 11 Sculpture, Installation, Site Spec
Chapter notes by Miguel Martinez

Craft Arts
Ceramics
Ceramics refers to the art or process of making
object out of baked clay.
Ceramics includes many objects that range from
the familiar pots and bowls of pottery, to clay
sculptures, to building bricks and the extremely
hard tiles that protect the surface of the space
shuttles from the intense heat of atmospheric
reentry.
Textile Arts
Textile arts are arts and crafts in which fibers are
used to make functional or decorative objects or
works of art.
Glazing
Pottery is glazed for functional and artistic
reasons.
Glazing appears on clay bricks that date
back to a third-tenth-century BCE temple
in Iran, and both the ancient Egyptian and
Mesopotamian river cultures
Types of Ceramics
Earthenware is pottery made from
slightly porous clay
Terra-cotta, hard-baked red clay that
has been fired at higher temperatures
Stoneware is usually gray or brown—
owing to impurities in its clay and
vitreous or semivitreous. It is used for
cookware, dinnerware, and much
ceramic sculpture.
Porcelain is hard, nonporous, and
usually white or gray in color.
Weaving
Weaving was well known to the ancient
Egyptians and Mesopotamians, although
some examples date back to the Stone Age.
Basket Weaving- animal or vegetable fibers
are woven into baskets or other containers.
Basket weaving is, like ceramics and textiles,
an ancient craft, but because natural
materials disintegrate,
Glass
Glass, like ceramics, has a long history
and has been used to create fine art and
functional objects.
Wood
Earthenware
porcelain
Wood, however, has only to be
cut and carved to form a
functional object.
Chapter 12:Mateo Zaldivar

Cast-Iron Architecture:
In the 19th century, prefabricated iron
revolutionized architecture, enabling
iconic structures like the Eiffel Tower
Shell Architecture:
Shell structures, using materials like
concrete, wood, steel, aluminum, and
plastics
Green Buildings:
Green buildings prioritize energy efficiency.
Urban Design:
Urban design, inspired by historical models
like Roman planning and grid-based layouts
as seen in Washington, D.C.
A
R
C
H
I
T
E
C
T
U
E
U
R
B
A
N
D
E
S
I
G
N
Early Humans and
Shelter:
Early humans initially sought natural
shelters in caves and tree canopies.
Art and Science:
Architecture involves visionary
designers collaborating with engineers,
builders, and interior designers.
Stone Architecture:
Stone served as a nearly indestructible
material.
Wood Architecture:
Wood's versatility and abundance make
it ideal for structural elements and
facades.
Chapter 13 Architecture
Chapter notes by Dianalyn Rabago

Art of the
Ancient
World

Stone Age Characteristics and Development:
The Stone Age is often associated with primitive survival needs like food,
shelter, and reproduction.
Prehistoric humans in the Stone Age exhibited intelligence and reflection,
practiced religious rituals, and created art objects.
Archaeological Discoveries in France and Spain:
Archaeological exploration in France and Spain has revealed shelters, tools,
and a significant number of sculptures and paintings, depicting humans and
animals.
a connection between religion, life, and art.
Prehistoric Art Phases:
Prehistoric art is divided into three Stone Age periods: Paleolithic, Mesolithic,
and Neolithic.( 30,000 BCE to 2000 BCE)
Stone Age art includes cave paintings, stone, ivory, and bone sculptures,
primarily depicting animals. There is limited surviving architecture.
The Cycladic Culture
This culture thrived during the Early Bronze Age, from roughly 3000 to 2000
BCE.
Cycladic art includes small marble figurines of women and male musicians.
The purpose of the small female figures is open to interpretation, with some
suggesting they represent goddesses or fertility.
These figurines are often found in tombs, suggesting a possible funerary
function.
Minoan Civilization and Crete
Crete was rich in painting, sculpture, and elaborate architecture.
The civilization is known as Minoan, named after King Minos.
Crete's advanced culture influenced stories like that of the Minotaur.
The Middle Minoan period saw the construction of great palaces, such as the
one at Knossos.
The Minoans developed a form of writing called Linear A and created refined
art and artifacts.
During the Late Minoan period, the palaces, including Knossos, were rebuilt.
Paleolithic Art:
People retreated into caves for warmth and began creating art in these
protective environments (Because of the Ice Age).
Notable cave paintings were discovered in northern Spain and southwestern
France.
The Hall of Bulls in Lascaux, France, is an example of Stone Age painting,
featuring realistic images of horses, bulls, and reindeer.
The artists used various techniques to create the illusion of three-dimensional
forms and achieve a convincing likeness of animals. These techniques included
outlining, coloring, and foreshortening.
Egyptian Art and Religion:
There are three distinctive aspects of Egyptian art: its connection to religion,
association with death, and the use of strict conventionalism for a sense of
permanence.
Architecture:
The Great Pyramids at Giza were constructed as monumental tombs for
pharaohs in the Old Kingdom.
The pyramids were massive structures made of limestone blocks.

Three Periods of Egyptian Art:
3 period: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
Art styles evolved from the Old to the New Kingdom with few variations.
Old Kingdom:
Egyptian religion in the Old Kingdom was closely tied to the afterlife.
Large-scale tomb sculptures were common, adorned with everyday objects
and scenes from earthly life.
Sculpture in the Old Kingdom:
Old Kingdom sculpture followed specific stylistic conventions, body parts
were shown from the front.
The figures tended to be flat, and foreshortening wasn't used.
Naturalism was rare; artists adhered to inherited conventions for thousands
of years.
Middle Kingdom:
The Middle Kingdom faced political challenges, but under King Mentuhotep,
art flourished once again.
New Kingdom:
The New Kingdom marked a period of expansion, increased wealth, and
stability.
Mortuary temples were introduced, which served as places for worship
during life and after death.
Aryan Invasion and Influence
Around the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt, Aryans invaded the Indus
Valley and conquered the Sindh region.
They introduced the Sanskrit language and instituted the caste system,
which persisted in India until the modern era.
Shang Dynasty Bronze Casting
The Shang Dynasty in ancient China developed a sophisticated bronze
casting technique.
They used piece molds for casting, pouring molten bronze into these molds.
After casting, the individual bronze pieces were assembled into a cohesive
whole.
Shang royal tombs, like those in Egypt and Mesopotamia, contained
precious bronze objects.

Classical Art: Greece, Rome, and
Early Judeo-Christian World
Ancient Greek art, spanning from the 8th to the 4th century BCE, prominently featured the idealized
representation of the human form, often depicted with a focus on balance, harmony, and proportion. Greek art
drew inspiration from mythology, showcasing gods and mythological narratives, while also incorporating elements
of naturalism and realism. Architectural excellence was a hallmark, with the development of column orders and
symmetrical designs. Geometric patterns adorned pottery and decorative arts, while contrapposto added lifelike
dynamism to sculpture. Themes celebrating civic life, politics, and cultural ideals were prevalent, and Greek art was
deeply intertwined with the philosophy and intellectual pursuits of the time, embodying enduring values of beauty,
order, and proportion.
Geometric Period (circa 900-700 BCE): Characterized by
the Geometric style of pottery decoration, with abstract,
geometric patterns and shapes. Sculpture was limited, often
represented by simple terracotta figurines. Architecturally,
early temples had wooden or thatch roofs.
Classical Period (circa 480-323 BCE):
Vase painting reached a peak of sophistication, showcasing
mythological scenes and daily life. Sculpture achieved
naturalism, with the development of contrapposto and a
focus on idealized human forms like the Doryphoros by
Polykleitos. Architecturally, the Parthenon in Athens
epitomized the classical order, emphasizing symmetry,
proportion, and precision in design.
Archaic Period (circa 700-480 BCE):
Vase painting continued with the adoption of more
narrative scenes, and sculptures became increasingly
stylized but still rigidly frontal. Architectural styles evolved
to include the Doric and Ionic orders, with temples made of
stone, demonstrating an early understanding of proportion
and harmony.
Hellenistic Period (circa 323-30 BCE):
Vase painting continued but with greater emotional and realistic
depth. Sculpture became more dynamic and emotionally
expressive, often depicting dramatic scenes and a wider range
of subjects. Architectural innovations included the Corinthian
order and experimentation with curved forms.
The Romans drew inspiration from Greek styles, particularly in their adoption of Greek architectural orders and sculpture techniques. The Etruscans,
who predated the Romans in Italy, influenced Roman architecture and city planning. Etruscan temples and arches were adopted by the Romans,
contributing to their architectural vocabulary. Overall, Greek and Etruscan art and architecture laid the foundation for Roman artistic expression,
incorporating elements of idealized forms, symmetry, and monumental design, which became hallmarks of Roman art and architecture in the
subsequent eras.
✦ . + . ✦ . + . ✦

The age of faith
in the 1200s, Islam was in its Golden Age, Christianity
was in the High Middle Ages, and it had been
“light” comes from a single God, and all are built
Jews believe that God, whom the ancient Hebrews
called Yahweh, spoke directly to Abraham and to
tions as his “chosen people.
” Christians believe that
the same God spoke to Jesus at his baptism, calling
the same God, whom they call Allah, revealed their
years of the Roman Empire, exploring Jewish and
early Christian sites of worship in the far-flung gargathering
spaces for ritual during the Christian
emperor Constantine’s commitment to Christianship
in the city of Rome—the western capital of the
tius in 312 ce, he said he saw a cross of light in the sky,
diers to mark their shields with a Christian symbol and,
he owed this victory to the Christian God.
tions from Europe and from the Near and Middle East
brought with them Christian and Islamic beliefs.
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and
At first a Jewish sect, Christianity flourished
over its early centuries and became the dominant
religion in the Roman Empire by the fourth century.
Today there are some two billion Christians, almost one-
Christianity teaches that Jesus led a virtuous life,
Christians believe that Jesus
Most Christians believe that Jesus will return one day—
impact the ways in which Jesus was depicted in art, as
ing his life from birth in a simple manger, through the
In Dura-Europos, Early Christians secretly worshiped in
that the Christians and all others should have liberty
began to build churches, many of which were erected on
Roman architecture.
other hand, is that the Roman Emperor Constantine was
Among the many churches Constantine helped create
Peter was believed to have been buried
the expansive basilican-plan church no longer exists.
present-day St.
Peter’s Basilica
during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
The plan of Old St.
Peter’s looks to the past and to
its parts, reflects those of Roman basilicas.
chapter 16: The age of faith
Chapter notes by Alexa Hernandez

The Renaissance
lslam, like Judaism and Christianity, is a monotheistic is seen by Muslims as the final prophet in the Abrahamic Muslims see
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Islam, removed the idols of Arabian tribal gods housed in largest religion, after Christianity, with nearly
one and a but was eventually pushed back by Christians. Middle Ages, Christians also fought Muslims to reclaim A follower of Islam
is called a Muslim, which is the past participle of Islam, mean- church was divided between Christians and Muslims. 24), shows the
system of arches that spans the A series of vaults, supported by heavier piers, There is no grand open space as in the Western
cathedral; rather, air and light flow as mosques and other Islamic structures have traditionally been decorated with finely detailed
mosaics, as seen in A mihbrab is a niche in the wall facing Mecca archy in Islam that is found in many Christian religions. The leader
of gatherings for worship, called the imam, stands on a pulpit in the mosque, the spiritual capital of Islam.
the golden age of Islam
has beencalled for centuries, from 750 ce to 1258 ce citrus fruits were imported from China, and rice,
During the early part of the Golden Age, the Abbasid When built it was the largest mosque in the world.
was a simple building, 800 feet long and 520 feet wide,covered
in part by a wooden roof, with a great open court was drawn in about the middle of the Golden
Golden Age potters were turning out simple, elegantly from eleventh- or twelfth-century Iran
The Golden Age was brought to an end by the Mongol invasion, but the Mongols who remained in Islamic lands
converted to Islam over the following century in 1453, who had the building converted into a mosque.
The cathedrals bells, altar, and religious figures were Muslim conflict over the building. and palace, was built by
Islamic Islamic architectural elements as well reminiscent of those found in ancient Roman villas.
Gothic Art
Art andarchitecture of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries is called Gothic.
The term Gothic originated amongble for the style of this period In their desire for verticality
, Gothic cathedrals sought to characterized by pointed arches, pinnacles and columns, and dauntingly high walls supported at least
in part from exterior flying 14 reveals the structure of a French used on cathedral façades.
Gothic architects could build huge clerestory windows and fill by a pointed arch..
Gothic cathedral, the roof and walls sideways and then downward. the walls need not bear the weight of the roof, they can be
punctuated with windows, allowing light to stream ered an Early Gothic building, its plan resembles those of Romanesque churches.
hapter 16: The age of faith
hapter notes by
Alexa Hernandez

The Renaissance
The word Renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth and it was a period of significant historical, social, and economic
events. It started in 1492 when Michelangelo was rendering human features from blocks of marble. Then in 1564 Shakespeare
was born and Michelangelo died. These two were the maker dates of the Renaissance. Around the 14th-16th centuries when
the revitalization of the Greek philosophy of humanism, in which human dignity, ideas, and capabilities are of central
importance
Northern artist remained more religious
Used the “trick-the-eye” technique to portray mystical religious phenomena in realistic manner
Manuscript illumination: Complicated imagery was reduced to a minute scale
15th century artists tried to reconcile religious subjects with scenes and objects from everyday life
Fifteenth-Century Northern Paintings
These qualities, and a keen observation of the human
response to the environment or in this case the merrymaking
bring to mind Michelangelo’s assessment of northern
painting as obsessed with representation of the real world
through the painstaking rendition of its everyday objects
and occurrences.
In any event, we are visually and psychologically coaxed into
viewing this most atypical Annunciation
Northern artist’s striking realism and fidelity to detail,
offering us exact records of the facial features.
Northern Renaissance painting is not confined to the region
of Flanders, and some of the most emotionally striking work
of this period was created by German artists. Their work
contains less symbolism and less detail than that of Flemish
artists, but their message is often more powerful.

The Renaissance in Italy
Florence and Rome witnessed a resurgence of Classicism as Roman ruins were excavated in
ancient sites, hillsides, and people’s backyards.
The Italian Renaissance took root and flourished most successfully in Florence. The
development of this city’s painting, sculpture, and architecture parallels that of the
Renaissance in all of Italy. Throughout the Renaissance, as Florence went, so went the
country
The Early Renaissance painters shared most of the stylistic concerns of the sculptors.
However, included in their attempts at realism was the added difficulty of projecting a
naturalistic sense of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. In addition to
copying from nature and Classical models, these painters developed rules of perspective to
depict images in the round on flat walls, panels, and canvases.
During the latter years of the fifteenth century, we come upon an artistic personality whose
style is somewhat in opposition to the prevailing trends. Since the time of Giotto, painters
had relied on chiaroscuro, or the contrast of light and shade to create a sense of roundness
and mass in their figures and objects, in an effort to render a realistic impression of threedimensional
forms in space.
Mannerism
During the Renaissance, the rule of the day was to observe and emulate nature. Toward
the end of the Renaissance and before the beginning of the seventeenth century, this
rule was suspended for a while, during a period of art that historians have named
Mannerism.
Several characteristics separate Mannerist art from the art of the Renaissance and the
Baroque periods: distortion and elongation of figures; flattened, almost twodimensional
space; lack of a defined focal point; and the use of discordant pastel hues.
The weightlessness, distortion, and ambiguity of space create an almost otherworldly
feeling in the composition, a world in which objects and people do not come under an
earthly gravitational force. The artist accepts this “strangeness” and makes no
apologies for it to the viewer. The ambiguities are taken in stride.
The artists from the second half of the sixteenth century through the beginning of the
seventeenth century all broke away from the Renaissance tradition in one way or
another.
The High and Late Renaissance witnessed artists of intense originality who provide a
fascinating transition between the grand Renaissance and the dynamic Baroque.
Chapter The Renaissance
Chapter notes by Sophia
Johnson

Baroque Era in Italy
From 1600 to 1750 (came after Renaissance)
Age of genius
Continued classicism and naturalism from the
Renaissance
Colorful, ornate, painterly, and dynamic style
was born
“Baroque” - “Barroco” (Portuguese); means
“irregularly shaped pearl”
This era was born in Rome partly from the
spread of Protestantism from the
Reformation
The post-Renaissance was most alive in Italy
because of religion, politics, and patronage
St. Peters
Expansion / renovation of St. Peter’s
Cathedral: expresses ideals of Renaissance,
hallmark of Baroque style
Gianlorenzo Bernini used baroque art
characteristics for St. Peters such as implied
motion, a different way of looking at space,
and the concept of time
Tenebrism; means “dark manner” and it is
when a painting has a small and
concentrated light source, cause a theatrical
effect
Baroque Era Outside Italy
Spain:
Spain was one of the richest European countries during Baroque, due to the New
World, and it heavily supported the arts
France:
Baroque happened during the reign of Louis XIV who was referred to as the “Sun
King” and soon became the center of the art world rather than Rome
The French king preferred Classicism and formed art academies to abide by this
England:
England’s Common Law and Parliament greatly affected Baroque in its country
Flanders:
Dutch artists painted everyday life like Bruegel while Flemish artists painted
religious and mythological paintings like Italy and Spain.
Holland:
Art consisted more of secular models by the Protestant mandate for humans to not
create false idols
Much of the art was realism and included landscapes, genre paintings, and still lifes
Chapter 18 The Baroque Era
Chapter notes by Karly Rust
Census at Bethlehem
Pieter Bruegel

Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732 - 1806)
The Rococo
This is a style within the Baroque
Era that began shortly after the
18th century
I was further from Classical styles
and emphasizes on the ornate,
sweetness, gaiety, and light of art
It is a refinement of Baroque that
later adopted a more frivolous
aspect in its subjects (rich nobles),
palette (pastels), and brushwork
(delicate)
The Enlightenment
The Rococo style reflected
Enlightenment ideas that
rejected religion and promoted
science
Japan:
Prince Toshihito liked the country villa whose
style would spread throughout Japan
This style has a relaxed look with its water
and greenery
One of the finest representatives of the Rococo
style with his painting of “Happy Accidents of the
Swing”
This painting with its lush greens and delicate colors
was a mask for how horrible life was
Demonstrates use of the pastel palettes with the
pinks and greens and the effects of the brushwork
on the trees that comes from the Rococo
The Wider World
It has a message of peace and nature, not
power
China:
Manchuria established the Qing
Dynasty under the ruling of Kangxi
Brought in European arts and
developed more complex glazing
techniques
Chapter 18 The Baroque Era
Chapter notes by Karly Rust
India:
When the Mughal supremacy came
forth, South India remained Hindu
The Nayak Dynasty created
gopuras, which were elaborate
temples

Chapter 19: The Modern Era
Neoclassical Painting:
Two prominent Neoclassical painters discussed in the passage are Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Jacques-Louis David, known for his
political involvement during the French Revolution, created works like "The Oath of the Horatii," which portrayed historical events to promote French patriotism.
Ingres, on the other hand, emphasized sensuous yet classically inspired compositions characterized by the balance between linearity and sensuality.
Neoclassical Architecture:
This popular building
design is still seen today
while using columns
Neoclassicism also influenced architectural design in France, England, and the United States. Neoclassical architecture is characterized by the use of classical
elements like columns, pediments, and marble facades. In the United States, notable examples include the design of Washington, D.C., with its focus on
Classical monuments, and buildings like the U.S. Supreme Court and the White House, where Neoclassical features are prominently displayed.
Neoclassical Sculpture:
Neoclassical principles were embraced by sculptors like Antonio Canova, who was renowned for
creating sculptures with a blend of realism and idealism. For instance, his portrayal of Pauline
Borghese as Venus reflects Classical Greek prototypes and the aesthetic ideals of the Neoclassical era.
Chapter 19: The Modern Era
Chapter Notes by Kyelin Straukas
Sleeping Cupid by Bertel Thorvaldsen in
1827 is an example of popular sculptures
that were created during the Neoclassical
era

Impressionism:
-The word Impressionism suggests a lack of realism, and realistic representation was the standard of the day.
-The Impressionist artists had common philosophies about painting, although their styles differed widely.
-They advocated painting outdoors and chose to render subjects found in nature.
-They studied the dramatic effects of atmosphere and light on people and objects and, through a varied palette, attempted to duplicate these effects
on canvas
-Impressionist artists had common philosophies about painting, although their styles differed widely.
This is a good example of impressionism
because it shows objects in nature
meanwhile using a variety of colors and
lights to create a unique visual
Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism:
-Neoclassicism contrasted with Romanticism, another major art movement of the 19th century.
-While Neoclassical artists aimed for clarity and order, Romantic artists focused on subjective emotions and intuition, often
using vibrant colors and bold brushwork
-The two styles represented differing approaches to art during the same historical period.
-Neoclassicism emphasized restraint of emotion, purity of form, and subjects that inspired morality, whereas Romantic art
sought extremes of emotion enhanced by virtuoso brushwork and a brilliant palette.
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh Painted in 1889
Realism:
-Many modern artists chose to depict subjects that are more evident in everyday life.
-Instead of using pigment merely as a tool to provide an illusion of three-dimensional reality, they
emphasized the two-dimensionality of the canvas and asserted the painting process itself.
-One artist was Honore Daumier and he used dark outlines and exaggerating features and gestures.
Chapter 19: The Modern Era
Chapter Notes by Kyelin Straukas
Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth painted in
1948 and it shows a more plain field with a girl
that stands out. It creates a visual reality that
she is lonely

20th century ART
The Fauves
Color and brushwork chosen based on their emotive qualities
★ ★
Rejected impressionism
Defining subjects: Nudes, still lifes and landscapes
An aggressive art approach (harsh and vigorous brush strokes)
Expressionism
A distortion of nature, opposed to its imitation
What is the goal of expressionism?
As it is expressed in its name: to achieve a desired emotional effect/ showcase inner feelings
Fauves fall into this category - as well as artists such as Van Gogh + Gaugin
Significant movements in expressionism - The Bridge, The Blue Rider, New Objectivity
➟ These movements were rejections against impressionism and realism.
➟ The bridge: Rejected the “socially acceptable” art forms. (Ernst Ludwig, Wassily Kandinsky)
➟ The blue rider: Emotionally charged art and shackled itself from the reality
Cubism
Abandonment of scientific perspective
Picasso is the driving force behind cubism
Georges Braque followed Picasso/ driving force behind analytical cubism
The Harlem Renaissance
Cultural movement in the heart of Harlem
African American writers, intellectuals, artists and musicians became a group that produced American
work --> this contributed to the movement as a whole
Notable artists - Hale Woodruff, Sargent Johnson, Augusta Savage, Romare Bearden. Aaron Douglas
and Jacob Warren
The armory show
Occured from 1908 - 1917, Steiglitz brought hundreds of exhibition from leading American artists
and Europeans
It was scandalous, bold, modern and It raised a few eyebrows. It was greatly impactful in the era of
modern art.
Charles Demuth was an American artistswho explored peak abstraction art, inspired by the armory
show.
Art of the Harlem Renaissance
Jacob Lawrence (1958)
“The Scream” during the era of Expressionism
Evard Munch (1893)
“Weeping woman”: Cubism
Pablo Picasso (1937)

Early Twentieth century abstraction in Europe
Rise of new dynamic schools: Constructivism and De Stijl. It was dedicated to pure
abstraction and non objective art
How does Non objective
☆⋆。
differ from Cubism?
A total lack of representational elements compared to Futurism and Cubism
Visual reality is the point of departure
Kadinsky is recognized as the first painter of
°‧★
pure abstraction
Logical outgrowth of Analytical Cubism
Fantasy
Artists begin to depict their supernatural fantasies and personal world of dreams rather than
achieving surrealism as a noble goal
Fantastic art - Beginning in 1900, artists began to explore fanciful imagery and working in
styles that varied as much as their imagination
Paul Klee created whimsical, yet subtly sardonic art. He rejected representational elements in
art and instead, turned to ethnographic and childrens art
Dada
During WWI, this international movement of art began
It responded to the absurdity of war and the insanity of the world
Dadaists declared that art was stupid and must be destroyed, yet it was ironic b/c they
created art.
Surrealism
Began as a literary movement after WWI
Surrealism: aimed to display the true function of thought through art
Illusionistic surrealism - Irrational content, absurd juxtapositions and metamorpheses of the
dream state in a highly illustionistic manner
Figurative art in the U.S
Figurative art - Art that cotains strong references to people and objects in the real world
Grant Wood and Edward Hopper were notable artists working in the depression era and WWI
The persistence of memory: Salvador Dali (1931)
During the era of Surrealism
Mona Lisa interpretation during Dada movement
Marcel Duchamp (1919)
Chapter 20: The Twentieth century (The Early Years)
Alex Kim
“Carnival of Vanity” Jofhra Bosschart (1959)
During the fantastical era of art

Abstract Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism emerged from geometric abstraction of Cubism, the
Automatist processes of Surrealism, and other influences of religion like
Buddhism and psychoanalysis throughout New York City
With gestural brushtrokes, nonobjective imagery and fields of intense color,
many of the canvases are large and evelop the viewer into the work of art itself
Many of the lines reference Asian art through their brushstrokes
Assemblage
Referred to works that are
constructed from found objects.
Assemblage can be made from rods,
bars, fabric, wire and even thread
There can be multiple interpretations
and designs to these art forms itself
as they are made up of different
materials
Pop Art
Pop art refers to the universal images of “popular
culture” that can be seen in common areas , which
helps challenge conceptions of various art styles
Pop Art intentionally depicts mundane and matter-of
fact types of interpretations of the art itself, thus, being
very objective
Figurative Art
Figurative art, or another form of
abstract art, sought to find different
interpretations of history, through raw
and expressionistically distorted forms of
reality
Using various objects, figurative art can
be made through a canvas or through
textured physical pieces that can be
abstracted into various styles
Photorealism
Photorealism represents a new
endeavor to depict objects and
topics with sharp, photographic
precision; very realistic
It also overlaps with various styles
of Pop Art, making both art styles
more modernized
Chapter 21 The Twentieth Century: Postwar to Postmodern
Chapter notes by Ivy Vo
Minimalism
Minimalistic artists sought to reduce their
ideas to their simplest forms, using
geometric shapes or progressions with
minimal amounts of formal elements

Performance Art
Emerged through
conceptualism, performance
art privileged actions over
objects themselves, often for
audience participation over
passive spectatorship
Most performance art is either
photographed or digitally
recorded, scripted or featuring
elaborate staging
Conceptual Art
Conceptual art, was merely
the visible embodiment of
what existed in the artists’
mind
Conceptual art was purely on
perception, wanting to
eliminate emotionalism,
exclusivity, and egocentricity
New Image Painting
New Image Painting is the
reconciliation of disparate
styles of abstraction and
representation, using the main
image as the base and using
abstract shapes and different
colors and textures throughout
the piece to make a chaotic but
elegantly balanced piece
Neo-Expressionism
Trying to develop a style that was viewed
worldwide as highly original and influential,
artists tried to find an alternative to painting
in the early 1980s, by painting “about
nothing”, portraying bitter ironies and angsts
of their generation
The Family (John Gruen, Jane
Wilson, and Julia)
Gay Liberation (George Segal)
Throughout the 1960s, Goerge Segal, a renowned Pop Art sculptor, contextualized ordinary symbols of life,
especially though his gay liberation and gay rights installation in Christopher Park, New York, in order to
shed a light on the various Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, in which members of the gay community
were involved with protests against a raid by Manhattan police. Along with that, Alice Neel, a artist that
draws more towards the photorealism trend, picked more of an insiders look in the functionality of society
through the lens of gender stereotypes found in families, having a harsh, yet constant style that conveys the
subtle, but noticable conflict in gender roles found out in society and personal life.

Insurrection! (Kara Walker)
Kara Walker, an African-American woman, has experienced numerous
forms of discrimination and racism throughout her life based on the
color of skin. and because of that, produced much of her art in a
dichotomous palette. Working with life-sized paper cutouts to call
attention to the brutal race relations in the United States, Walker’s
typically black figures pasted onto a white gallery wall, echoes the
stereotyping that prevents people of one background from seeing
other people of other backgrounds with different views and
perspectives of the world, influencing the amount of race and
ethnicity seen throughout society and how individuals interact and
indulge in such cultures and variety.

Globalization
ART NOW
Globalization created a world where cultures are no longer distant from one another
The internet and television created instant communication of images
Art from different cultures influence others from around the globe
Hybridity- the mixing of traditions of different culture to create new blends and new connections
Appropriation- the use of another artist’s work as a basis for one’s own (sometimes the new work
built on or changed the one appropriated
Postcolonialism- aspects of globalization in the arts are a reaction to the retreat of the European
empires that ruled much of the world through the middle of the twentieth century. Ex: former
colonies in the Americas, Africa, Middle East, etc
Japan
Ishiro Honda’s “Godzilla”- the film portrays Japan’s
fears about weapons of mass destruction following
WWII
Akira Yamaguchi’s “Votive Tablet of a Horse”-
portrays sacred white horses, believed to be divine
symbols, with motorcycle parts.
Subodh Gupta, “Silk Route” (2007)
India and Pakistan
Ishiro Honda, “Godzilla” (1954)
China
Wang Gongxin, “Our Sky Is Falling In” (2007)
Subodh Gupta’s “Silk Route”- emphasizes India’s key historic and
contemporary role while illustrating the current state of India’s society.
The art work refers to the Silk Road. The artwork includes stacks of silvery
bowls and utensils that move along a mechanized track to symbolize the
new era of globalization.
Shahzia Sikander’s “Perilous Order”- casts light on past and present
challenges faced by women and gays in the Islamic world. The painting
alludes to the contrast between liberal Hindu sexuality and the strict rules
During communist era all art were about hard work and service
the contemporary is no longer pro government
Wang Gongxin’s “Our Sky Is Falling In”- his art focuses on the anxieties experienced
by ordinary Chinese people due to the rapid industrialization. The art portrays an
everyday family scene that is disrupted by the collapsing ceiling showing the
helplessness of individuals in a world or modernization.
Luo Brother’s “Welcome to the World Famous Brand”- the artwork displays themes
of the East meeting the Big Mac from the West. It shows the convergence of
consumerism and globalization.
against it in the Muslim world.

Korea
Do Ho Suh’s “Fallen Star 1/5”-
portrays a Korean house that
fell into an apartment from
Rhode Island. It demonstrates
the feeling of a stranger
Do Ho Suh, “Fallen Star 1/5” (2008-2011)
dropped into a strange land.
The Middle East
Mona Hatoum’s “Shift”- the painting portrays a map of the world
divided into shifting segments to demonstrate the seismic activity as
if the world suffers from earthquakes.
Adi Nes’ “Untitled”- the artwork recreates The Last Supper with
soldiers. It symbolizes the discrepancy between the dream of Israel
and certain social realities of contemporary Israel.
Akram Zaatari’s “Letter to a Refusing Pilot”- the artwork represents a
real life event of a Israli pilot refusing to follow orders to bomb a
hospital/school. It demonstrates the pilot challenging military
authority.
Africa
Romuald Hazoumé’s “Bagdad City”- the
artwork is a ceremonial mask that was made
from a jerrry can in order to reveal the
exploitation of Africa’s resources and
economic enslavement of Africans.
Wangechi Mutu’s “Mask”- the artwork is a
contemporary print model and African objects
put together. It symbolizes the sexualization
and neglect of African women by oppressive Romuald Hazoumé, “Bagdad City” (1992)
men. Women are suffering from stereotypes.
The Americas
Alexandre Arrechea’s “Elementos Arquitectónicos”- the
artwork portrays a laborer holding a stack of white bricks
that covers his face. The white bricks on the man’s flesh
demonstrates the worker’s struggles in a classes society.
It shows that there is no beginning or end to his task.
Miguel Luciano’s “Plantano Pride”- it shows a Puerto
Rican adolescent boy with a banana chain. The boy’s
chain shows America’s rap culture and American
materialism, while the banana on the chain shows Puerto
Rico’s cash crop. It reveals the political, economic, and
cultural subjugation.
Alexandre Arrechea, “Elementos
Arquitectónicos” (2006)
Adi Nes, “Untitled” (1999)
Compare and Contrast
Masks play an essential role in the rituals of sub-Saharan and West Africa. They have spiritual or religious meanings.
In the 20th century they were collected by Europeans and were used by modern artists such as Pablo Picasso to
create artworks like the “Head of a Sleeping Woman”. He mimicked the features of the African masks. Other artists
like Faith Ringgols and Willie Cole use the mask as a reference to create their artworks.
Chapter 22- Art Now: A Global
Perspective
Chapter Notes by Eric Yang