The document discusses what art is and debates its definition. It explores the purpose of art and whether previous knowledge is needed to appreciate it. Examples of different artworks are provided, from paintings to sculptures, and readers are asked to determine which are considered art. The elements of art like line, color, texture, and principles of art like balance and harmony are explained. Finally, readers are given an activity to analyze artworks using these concepts.

1. WHAT IS ART?
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2. MA Rosa M. Brito

3. WHAT IS ART?
Participate in the debate!
• What do you think is the purpose of art?
• Do you consider people must have some previous
knowledge to be able to understand and appreciate a
piece of art? Why?
• Have you been to a museum or art exhibit?
• What have you liked the most? What didn´t you like?
• Do you believe the value and “price” of a work of art
are the same thing? Why?
• What circumstances do you think influence the
August Rodin, The Thinker artists´ works ?
1879-1889
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4. Which one is a work of art?
Alberto Prego. 2009.
Joan Miró, Blue Star, 1927. Free digital scribbling.
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5. Which one is a work of art?
Picasso. The dog.
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6. “There really is no such thing as
Art. There are only artists”
E. H. Gombrich
Do you agree? Why?
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7. Is this art? Loris Cecchini,
Stage Evidence
(bicycle), 1998.
Emilio Mariño,
Spring, 2001
Darío Escobar, Obverse & Reverse
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8. “Art is everything that men
call art”
Dino de Formaggio
Do you agree? Why?
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9. Art and the artistic creation
Artistic creation is
inherently human
Art and men are inseparable
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10. “ It is virtually impossible to imagine any
society without art of some kind. Indeed, the
visual arts, music, drama, dance, and other
forms of art, add a sense of pleasure to life.
The arts are a vital part of civilization, an
essential part of any culture. They are the
universal languages through which human beings
express their dreams, their aspirations, their
ideas, and their feelings. They make it possible
for all of us to communicate, understand, and
appreciate each other. The arts have always
been and always will be the language of
civilization”
(Mittler, 2000: 5) MA Rosa M. Brito

11. Art, a unique contribution in human
life
Michelangelo, The Sistine Chapel, 1508-12
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1kpcQm/www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

12. “The aim of art is to represent not
the outward appearance of things,
but their inward significance”.
Aristotle (384 AC-322 AC) Greek philosopher.
Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889

13. “A thousand years ago, most people never saw an
image. People who lived in a town might have seen
art in their local church or temple but only the
very wealthy could own images.
In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII sent the
painter Hans Holbein across the channel so he
could see what a woman he was considering for
marriage looked like.
Throughout history, images were anchored to a
place. Today, images are everywhere and infinitely
reproducible. They may even be surpassing text as
the dominant form of communication.”
Google Art Project
http://www.googleartproject.com/education/
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14. Art…
 It is a human production
 It is an expressive production
 It has symbolic values as a result of a
mental activity and a technique in a
determined model of society.
 It uses specific languages
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15. Why do we create art?
 Aesthetics reasons: beauty, goodness
 Moral/ethic reasons: existentialist
dilemmas
 Spiritual reasons: religion and
supernatural forces
 Historical reasons: immortalization of
historical events
 Political reasons: propaganda or
ideological indoctrination
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16. Classify possible reasons
La Almudena Cathedral, 1879-1993, Madrid, España MA Rosa M. Brito

17. Classify possible reasons
Benito Juárez y la Reforma, José Clemente Orozco, 1948
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18. Classify possible reasons
Cultura Ewe, Togo
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19. Classify possible reasons
Adriana Kosub, Introspection, 2007
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20. Classify possible reasons
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937
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21. What is Aesthetics?
Aesthetics is a Philosophy´s discipline that
studies the different manifestations of
beauty.
Beauty is a concept whose different
definitions depend of the time period and
society values MA Rosa M. Brito

22. Elements of Art
Jackson Pollock, Untitled, 1950

23. Works of art are made of line, color, texture, form, and
perspective. Can you identify the lines, colors and shapes in
this painting of Joan Miró, Carnival of Harlequin, 1924-25?
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24. Color
Secundary
Primary
Tertiary
Joan Miró, Portrait IV,
1938
Claude Monet,
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Garden at Vetheuil“,
San Agustín lavando los pies a Cristo 1881
1650 - 1655.
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25. Line
It is a continuous
mark made by a
moving point in a
surface. It permits
the identification
of pictorial shapes
Can you draw a face
Henri Matisse,
with 5 lines?
Nude Oranges,
1952
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26. Find the lines in this painting
Jean Baptiste Camille,
Beach near Etreta Corot
1872
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27. Line and Movement
Parthenon, Grecia, 447-438 bc
Vertical: strength and stability
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28. Line and Movement
Thomas Eakins, The Biglin Brothers Racing, Horizontal: calmness
1873 MA Rosa M. Brito

29. Line and Movement
Diagonal: tension
Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818-19
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30. Line and Movement
Henry Moore,
Large Interior
Form, 1981
Andy Goldsworthy,
Broken Pebbles, 1985
Curve: flowing and
continuous movement MA Rosa M. Brito

31. Texture
It is an element of art that refers to
the quality of the surface of the work of
art.
The texture can be real or visual.
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32. Compare textures
Ludolf Backhuysen, Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast, 1667
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33. Compare textures
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34. Compare textures
José de Creeft
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35. Compare textures
Jean-Auguste-
Dominique Ingres,
Princess de Broglie,
1853
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36. Shape and Form
William H. Johnson, Going to Church, 1940-41
Two-dimensional or three-dimensional?
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37. Shape and Form
Luis Meléndez, Stll Life with Oranges, Jars, and Boxes of Sweets, 1760-65
Two-dimensional or three-dimensional?
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38. Components of the Form
Henry Moore,
Family Group,
1945-49
Mass: size and bulk of the three-dimensional form
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39. Components of the Form
Henry Moore,
Two Large
Forms,
1965-69
Paul taylor Dance Company
Volume: space inside the three-dimensional form
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40. Perspective
 Depth in a painting is an optical illusion
created by the use of space in the work as
a whole. The types of perspective are:
• Vanishing point
• Planes
• Contrast
 Real three-dimensional space: height,
width, and depth is found in sculpture,
ceramic and architecture.
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41. Recognizing the space
Giorgione, The Adoration of the Shepherds, c. 1505-10
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42. Recognizing the space
Picasso, Fábrica del Horta del Ebro, 1909
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43. Recognizing the space
www.fotomurales.es, African Silhouettes
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44. Javier Marín, Cabeza de mujer en un tronco de árbol,
2008
Principles of Art

45. The principles of art
The artists design their works of art
using and controlling the elements of art
and applying the principles of art.
To learn and identify the principles of
art in a creative work, help us to recognize
and enjoy the composition, artistry of the
piece and the talent of the artist.
MA Rosa M. Brito

46. Balance
Combined elements
to give stability and
equilibrium to a work
of art. There are
three types of
balance:
symmetrical,
asymmetrical and
radial
Symmetrical
balance Raphael, Madonna del Baldacchino, 1508
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47. Asymmetrical balance
Mary Cassat, Summer, 1894
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48. Radial
balance
Notre-Dame
Cathedral,
Paris, 1163
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49. Emphasis or contrast
Combines
elements to
point out the
differences or
contrasts
Vicent Van Gogh
Le Cyprés
1889
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50. Harmony
“Combines similar elements in a work of
art to stress their similarities” (Mittler,
42)
Tunic Moche_Wari Community, VII – IX Century
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51. Variety
It is diversity,
change and
complexity.
Kandinsky, Composition X
1939 (160 Kb); Oil on canvas
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52. Gradation
Combines a series of gradual changes
Joseph Turner, Zuck lake, 1843
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53. Rhythm
It is created
through the
careful repetition
of elements to
create a visual
tempo or beat
Marcel Duchamp,
Nude Descending a Staircase #2,
1912
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54. Proportion
It is the
relationship
between the
elements of
the artwork,
usually
connected
with
emphasis
Feminine figure
Iranian region,
Caspian Sea
Bronce Age MA Rosa M. Brito

55. Activity
 Work in pairs.
 Observe the following images,
analyze them, applying the
elements and principles of art
that correspond to each one of
them
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56. Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition
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57. Henri Matisse, The Red Room, 1908

58. Mirón de Eleuteras, Discóbolo, 455 ac

59. Frida Kahlo, Diego en mi pensamiento,
1943

60. Castle Museum, Osaka, Japan

61. Pablo Picasso, Los tres músicos, 1921

62. Javier Marín, Cabeza de mujer

63. Paul Rubens, The Four Continents, 1615

64. Bayron Gálvez, En el escenario

65. Caravaggio, Medusa, 1598-99

66. Arq. Santiago Calatrava, Ciudad
de las Ciencias y las Artes de
Valencia, España

67. Activity
 Choose a partner for the activity.
 Analyze each one of the artworks
with the corresponding formats given
to you by your professor.
Henry Moore, Family Group, 1945-49, bronze,
Tate , London
Templo del Expiatorio, Arq. Adamo
Boari, 1897-1972, Guadalajara, Jal. Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa,
México 1818-19, Oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris

68. Referencias y Bibliografía
Arnason, H. H., & Prather, M. (1998). History of modern art: painting,
sculpture, architecture, photography (4th ed.). New York: Harry N.
Abrams, Inc.
Figueroba, A., & Madrid, M. T. (1996). Historia del arte . Madrid: McGraw-
Hill.
Manzaneque Casero, J. A. (n.d.). Historia del Arte. almez.pntic.mec.es.
Retrieved December 7, 2012, from
almez.pntic.mec.es/~jmac0005/Bach_Arte/Teoria/Html/teoria_funcion.ht
m
Mittler, G. A. (2000). Art in focus: aesthetics, criticism, history, studio
(4th ed.). New York : GLENCOE/MCGRAW-HILL.
APA formatting by BibMe.org.
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