Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. (German, 1880-1938). Street, Dresden. 1908

Aesthetic Theory and Art History IIIn this period you will have the opportunity to get a better understanding of aesthetics. In learning how the subject, composition, and content of an artwork relate to aesthetics and you will also study the modern art movements.

Different art critics judge works of art according to their own personal perspectives and based on their own criteria of what makes art “successful”. These sets of criteria can be divided into three main ideas. Let’s look at the three different areas. Decide which aesthetic theory you use when judging a work of art.

What is Aesthetics?

Aesthetics -The study of the concept of beauty, how it is defined, and how people experience and understand it. Aesthetics - Branch of philosophy that provides a theory of the beautiful and of the fine arts; a systematic attempt to explore human feeling, form, beauty, and style expressed in disciplines involving creative effort; dealing with questions of definition, meaning, value, and evaluation in the arts. Theory - A set of abstract rules, ideas, and principles that explain a particular subject, as opposed to actual practice. Aesthetic Qualities Cues or indication within artwork, such as literal, visual, and expressive qualities, which are examined during the art criticism process.

Beauty and Aesthetics

Understanding the nature and meaning of beauty is one of the key themes in the philosophical discipline known as aesthetics. The composer and critic Robert Schumann distinguished between two kinds of beauty, natural beauty and poetic beauty: the former being found in the contemplation of nature, the latter in man's conscious, creative intervention into nature. Schumann indicated that in music, or other art, both kinds of beauty appear, but the former is only sensual delight, while the latter begins where the former leaves off.

What is Beautiful?

Is the following piece of art beautiful? Why or why not?

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Still Life, Ostia, 1994 by William Bailey

Freedom of Speech (1942) Norman Rockwell

Monsieur Suisse, 1861Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet (French, 1819–1877)

Are the trees in the following work of art beautiful?

Is the house in the following piece of art beautiful? Why or why not?

Taste is a personal matter. The clothing you like may differ from the clothing that your parents like. This doesn’t make anyone wrong or right. It is simply differences in taste.

When we talk about art, we refer to different “aesthetic views” to talk about these differences in taste. An aesthetic view is an idea or school of thought on what is most important in a work of art.

What do you think is most important in creating a good work of art?

1. Making it look real, or lifelike? 2. Successfully using the elements and principles of art? 3. Having an important idea to communicate? Again, decide which aesthetic theory you use when judging a work of art.

The Different Aesthetic Theory

1. Imitationalism - An aesthetic theory of art which places emphasis on the literal qualities. According to this theory, the most important thing about a work of art is the realistic representation of subject matter. Imitationalism infers that only art that looks real or represents the subject matter realistically can be considered successful. The work must look like what we see in the real world.

Literal or Realistic Qualities - The realistic presentation of subject matter in an artwork, along with the elements of art found in it; avoiding distortions, exaggerations, or embellishments. This aesthetic quality is favored by imitationalism.

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Käthe Kollwitz, Self-Portrait with Hand on the Forehead, 1910, etching

The Kitchen by Pablo Picasso

Edward Munch, The Scream. 1895

Chidi Okoye, Dada, terracotta

Robert Delaunay, The Joy of Life, 1930 , oil on canvas, Jacob Lawrence (American) 1917-2000,

Paper Boats, 1949 ) Tempera on gessoed panel

What principles of design were used in the following paintings above?

What emotion do you feel in each picture?

2. Emotionalism - An aesthetic theory of art which places emphasis on the expressive qualities. According to this theory, the most important thing about a work of art is the vivid communication of moods, feelings, and ideas. Emotionalism bases its decisions about the success of an art work on the messagecontained within the work. The expressive quality is most important; a strong feeling for the mood and idea the artist wants the viewer to see. Expressive Qualities - The feelings, moods, and ideas communicated to the viewer through a work of art. This aesthetic quality is favored by emotionalism.

3. Formalism - An aesthetic theory of art which places emphasis on form -- the design qualities. According to this point of view, the most important thing about a work of art is the effective organization of the elements of art through the use of the principles of design. Formalism bases the success of a work of art on the composition or the arrangementof the Elements Of Art using the Principles of Design.

Design Qualities - how well an artwork is ordered or put together.

Structure - Something made up of a number of components that are put together in a particular way. Structure is any means of arranging or putting together a work to form a cohesive and meaningful whole, including sensory elements, organizational principles, expressive features, and functions of art. To give structure to a thing (to structure it) is to give form or arrangement to it. Sometimes structure refers to the elements of a thing that keep it from collapsing.

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MODERN ART MOVEMENTS

With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 19th century, new art styles and movements appeared and disappeared at an increasingly fast pace - thus reflecting the growing rate of changes in our society. Here is a short overview on important modern art movements from Impressionism to Op Art to Minimal Art.

Modern - Generally refers to recent times or the present, or the sense of something being contemporary or up-to-date, recently developed or advanced in style, technique, or technology. Sometimes this refers to something being innovative or experimental.

Avant-garde - French for vanguard. Artists and their work which stand in the forefront of a movement or of new ideas, often in opposition to established ideas and traditions; art that's ahead of its time, innovative, experimental. The modern era has invariably had a flourishing avant-garde. (pr. ah'vahnt-gard")

Modernism or modernism - An art movement characterized by the deliberate departure from tradition and the use of innovative forms of expression that distinguish many styles in the arts and literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Modernism refers to this period's interest in:

new types of paints and other materials expressing feelings, ideas, fantasies, and dreams instead of the visual world we

otherwise see creating abstractions, rather than representing what is real a rejection of naturalistic color and favoring arbitrary color a use of choppy, clearly visible brushstrokes the acceptance of line, form, color, and process as valid subject matter by

themselves a requirement that the audience take a more active role as interpreter. Each

viewer must observe carefully, and get information about the artist's intentions and environment, before forming judgments about the work.

Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906) is often called the "Father of Modernism."The modern period is generally thought to have been followed by the one we are in now -- most often called postmodern. Although some prefer to call it "late modern."

I. European Art – Late 1800s

Each age has its customs and fashions. One custom in Paris and London during the 1880s was a yearly art shows. The Salon, an annual exhibition of art, was major social event. An artist reputation often depended upon whether or not his or her work was selected for showing at the Salon. The Salon also led to the formation of an art movement, a trend formed when a group of artists band together to create works of a single style.

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Claude Monet, Impression: Sunrise (Impression: soleil levant), 1873, oil on canvas, 48 x 63 cm

Berthe Morisot, A Summer’s Day, 1879

Impressionism Centered in France, 1860's to 1880's

The history of modern art started with Impressionism. It all began in Paris as a reaction to a very formal and rigid style of painting - done inside studios and set by traditional institutions like the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

1. Impressionism In 1874 a group of discouraged young artists decided to hold an exhibition of their own . They found an empty studio in Paris. There they hung pictures that had been rejected by the Salon. The people who came to view the exhibition reacted in different ways. Some were confused. Others laughed. Still others were angry. On one point most viewers were agreed: the paintings look more like quick sketches than like finished art works. One angry critic, Louis Leroy,after viewing a painting titled Impression: Sunrise, referred to all the paintings as “impressionistic”. The name stuck and continued to be used to identify paintings done in this new style. This style Impressionism, is a style that attempted to capture the rapidly changing effects of lights on objects.The hallmark of the style is the attempt to capture the subjective impression of light in a scene. The Impressionist painters preferred to paint outside and studied and attempt to capture the subjective impression of light in a scene or objects. Their preferred subjects were landscapes and scenes from daily life.

The core of the earliest Impressionist group was made up of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley. Others associated with this period were Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Gustave Caillebotte, Frederic Bazille, Edouard Manet, and Mary Cassatt.The Impressionist style is still widely practiced today. However, a variety of successive movements were influenced by it, grouped under the general term Post-Impressionism.

En plein air - French for "in the open air," used chiefly to describe paintings that have been executed outdoors, rather than in the studio. (pr. pleh-nayr')

Here's a list that might help a student to remember the issues important to most Impressionists:E – Everyday Life L – Light B – Brushstrokes O – Outdoor Settings W – Weather and Atmosphere

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Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol, 1875. This and many other pictures Monet made was painted "en plein air."

Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect, 1903

How would you describe the colors and the brushstrokes? Can you make out such details as the boat, the water and a sun?

2. Post-Impressionism 1880-1920

Some artists worked as Impressionist came to feel that there were problems with this style. The more they studied their art the more dissatisfied they became. This dissatisfaction led to still newer forms of expression and their solution to these problems differed. Some argued that art should be more carefully design. Others clamed feelings and emotions should be emphasized.

Post-Impressionism is the name given to art movement that appeared after the Impressionist movement. The word post means “after”. Post-Impressionist is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of artists who were influenced by Impressionism but took their art in different directions. There is no single well-defined style of Post-Impressionism, but in general it is less casual and more emotionally charged than Impressionist work.

The classic Post-Impressionists arePaul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri Rousseau. The Pointillists and Les Nabis are also generally counted among the Post-Impressionists. These showed a greater concern for expression, structure and form than did the Impressionist artists. Their more exaggerated forms and use of color, structure and line paved the way for later 20th century art styles such as Fauvism and Cubism.

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Paul Cézanne, still life c. 1895, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, September 1889 (Saint-Rémy), oil on canvasVincent van Gogh. The All-Knight Café at Arles. September

1888. Oil on canvas.

All-Night Café  “In my painting of the All-Night Café I've tried to express the idea that the café is a place where one can ruin oneself, become crazy and criminal. Through the contrast of delicate pink, blood red and dark red, of mild  Louis XV and Veronese green against the yellow-green and stark blue-green tones – all this in  an atmosphere like the devil’s inferno and pale sulphurous yellow… I’ve tried to convey the sinister power of such a place.” Vincent van Gogh.

Paul Cézanne, Mount Sainte-Victoire, c. 1888, oil on canvas

Post Impressionist artist concern more on the following

1. Content – Something More ExpressiveContent is the emotional or intellectual message of an artwork. Vincent van Gogh goal was not, like the Impressionist, to reproduce what the eye saw. It was to capture his own deepest feelings about a subject. He expresses these feelings with twisted lines and forms, intense colors and rich textures.

2. Composition or Structure – Something Solid and DurablePaul Cezanne objected to the loss of composition arising from the Impressionist blurring of shapes. His solution was to use patches of colors. These he joined together like pieces of a puzzle to create solid looking forms.

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Paul Signac, Pink Clouds, 1886, oil on canvas

Cézanne’s idea was basing his work on the regularity of geometry of reducing the diversity of natural forms to the uniform clarity of simple geometric figures.He said that everything can be modeled in three basic form - the cube, the cylinder and the sphere.The picture on the left is one way to represent a tree.

Paul Gauguin, Day of God, 1894, oil on canvas

Paul Gauguin “Vision After the Sermon, 1888

3. Composition and ContentPaul Gauguin used color and shape in new exciting ways. He also created artworks that could be enjoyed for their decorative appearances. He filled his works with meaningful colors and used it in arbitrary way. Arbitrary color is colors selected and used to communicate feelings by the artist without regard to the natural appearance of the object portrayed. Local or Optical colors on the other hand, are colors viewers actually see.

A. Pointillism France, 1880's

Pointillism is a form of painting technique in which small, carefully placed dots of primary colors are used to create forms. The term "Pointillism" was first used with respect to the work of Georges Seurat, and he is the artist most closely associated with the movement. Among the relatively few artists following this style were Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross.

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George Seurat (French) 1859-1891, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884-86, Oil on canvas

Henri Matisse, Green Stripe (Madame Matisse), 1905, oil and tempera on canvas, 15 7/8 x 12 7/8 in

Henri Matisse, Spacious Red Interior, 1907, oil and tempera on canvas,

André Derain, Charing Cross Bridge, 1906, oil on canvas

Art of the Early Twentieth Century in Europe

Every age, it has been said, learns from and builds on the one before it. The truth of these words is clear from developments in art in the early 1900s. Several new styles came along, each borrowing in a different way from Post-Impressionism.

3. Fauvism 1898-1908

Fauvism - An early twentieth century art movement and style of painting in France. The name Fauves, French for "Wild Beasts," was given to artists adhering to this style because it was felt that they used intense colors in a violent, uncontrolled way. No effort had been made to paint realistic pictures. The artist goal was to express their feelings to sharply contrasting colors and heavy outlines. Fauvism was influenced by works of Paul Gauguin and Pointillist.The leader of the Fauves was Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). The first exhibition by Fauvist artists took place in 1905. The best-known fauve artists are Andre Derain, Maurice de Vlaminch, Kees van Dongen and Raoul Dufy. Fauvism was a short-lived movement, but had a substantial influence on some of the Expressionists.

5. Cubism Europe, 1908-1920

Paul Cezanne, you will remember, was interested in showing objects as solid looking forms. A guiding idea behind one new style was Cezanne’s notion that all forms in nature are made up of three forms- the sphere, the cylinder and the cube. This idea contributed to the development of Cubism. Cubism, another modern art movement, was primarily restricted to painting and sculpture. Nevertheless it had a major influence on the development of modern art. Cubism was initiated by the Spaniard Pablo Picasso and the Frenchman Georges Braque in Paris before World War I. Cubism had strong roots in African tribal art. In cubism, geometrical forms and fragmentations are favored.

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Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907, oil on canvas, 8 feet x 7 feet

Fernand Léger, Woman with a Cat, 1921, oil on canvas, 51 x 35 inches

Georges Braque, Fruit Dish and Cards, 1913, oil, heightened with chalk and charcoal on canvas, 81 x 60 cm,

Pablo Picasso, Weeping Woman, 1937, oil on canvas, 60.8 x 50.0 cm.

Everything is reduced to cubes and other geometrical forms and broken up into different shapes or fragmented and then put back together from multiple points of view simultaneously. As famous artists besides Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Robert Delaunay, Juan Gris and Lyonel Feininger, Fernand Leger are to be mentioned. Cubism paved the way for abstract art

Cubism is an arrangement of bits and pieces viewed from different angles.

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Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1921, oil on canvas, 29 7/8 x 20 5/8 inches

Theo van Doesburg, Counter-Composition VI, 1925, oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian, Composition in Red, Blue and Black, 1930, oil on canvas

Wassily Kandinsky (Russian)1866-1944, Composition VII, 1913, Oil on canvas

Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913

6. Abstract Art

Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky is said to be the Father of Abstract Art. Wassily Kandinsky is considered as the inventor and theorist of abstract painting in the 20th century. In 1910 Wassily Kandisnky had seen an Islamic art exhibition in Munich - a highly decorative art style that does not allow to show images of human beings. The same year Kandinsky created his first abstract painting. Abstract art is defined as art that has no reference to any figurative reality. In its wider definition the term describes art that depicts real forms in a simplified or rather reduced way - keeping only an allusion of the original natural subject. The abstract paintings of Joan Miro are a good example of this wider definition. The term non-representational is used as a synonym.

7. De Stijl or Neo Plasticism Holland, 1920 to 1940 De Stijl - An art movement advocating pure abstraction and simplicity -- form reduced to the rectangle and other geometric shapes, and color to the primary colors, along with black and white. Piet Mondrian (Netherlandish, 1872-1944) was the group's leading figure. Neo-Plasticism is a Dutch movement founded (and named) by Piet Mondrian. It is a rigid form of Abstraction, whose rules allow only for a canvas subsected into rectangles by vertical and horizontal lines, colored using very limited palette. Another members includes Theo van Doesberg and George Vantongerloo

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Wassily Kandinsky Church in Murnau. 1910. Oil on cardboard.

René Magritte, The Future of Statues, 1937, painted plaster relief

Marc Chagall, Over Vitebsk (Au dessus de Vitebsk), 1915-20 (after a painting of 1914), oil on canvas, 26 3/8 x 36 1/2 inches

Salvador Dalí, Temptation of St. Anthony, oil on canvas

Giorgio de Chirico. Torino printanière. 1914. Oil on canvas. 124 x 99.5 cm.

What gives these pictures its dreamlike appearance? What kinds of feeling does it arouse in you?

8. Surrealism Europe, 1924to 1950's

The Impressionists went outdoors to find ideas. The Expressionists looked to their own hearts. The second decade of the twentieth century found artists exploring still another source for art ideas. That was the inner workings of the mind.

Surrealism emphasizes the unconscious, the importance of dreams, and the psychological aspect in arts. Surrealism became an important movement in the fine arts, literature and in films (by the Spaniard Bunuel for instance). For the fine arts, the best-known names are Salvador Dali, the Italian Giorgio de Chirico with his strange and eerie town views, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Yves Tanguy, Rene Margritte and the Russian Marc Chagall.

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Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (#30), 1950, oil on canvas, 105 x 207 inches, detail

Hans Hofmann, The Golden Wall, 1961, oil on canvas

Willem de Kooning, Seated Woman, 1952, pastel, pencil, and oil on two hinged sheets of paper

How these painters differ from each other?

9. Abstract Expressionism Centered in New York City, 1946 to 1960's

World War II and Hitler's persecution of the Jewish people and the condemnation of modern art by the Nazis, led to a wave of immigration of European avant-garde artists to the United States - mainly to New York. The result was an enormous impact on contemporary American artists. The art movement called Abstract Expressionism was born. It is less a style than a concept of performing art in a spontaneous way without the limits of conventional forms.

The best known names are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, Hans Hoffman.

Abstract Expressionism is a form of art in which the artist expresses himself purely through the use of form and color. It is form of non-representational, or non-objective, art, which means that there are no concrete objects represented. It emphasized spontaneous personal expression, freedom from accepted artistic values, surface qualities of paint, and the act of painting itself. In this art style, paint was dribbled, spilled, or splashed rich colors onto huge canvases to express painting as action. The act of painting was so tied to their work that the abstract expressionists became labeled “action painters.”

Does a viewer need to see things in a painting to enjoy it?

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Maurits Cornelis Escher, Relativity, 1953, lithograph

Just by staring into this picture, you feel dizzy. Don't you?

Bridget Riley (British, 1931-), Current, 1964

Victor Vasarely, Blue / Red, 1983, silkscreen

11. Op Art Movement 1950's to 1960's

After Pop Art it was Op Art, a short form for Optical Art. Op Art expressed itself with reduced geometrical forms - sometimes in black and white contrasts and sometimes with very brilliant colors. The most prominent artist is Hungarian-born Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, M. C. Escher. In the seventies Op Art even made its way into fashion design. But Op Art never succeeded in becoming a really popular mass-movement of modern art like Pop Art.

Op Art - A twentieth century art movement and style in which artists sought to create an impression of movement on the picture surface by means of optical illusion. It is derived from, and is also known as Optical Art and Perceptual Abstraction.

The beauty of Op Art lies in that repetition of simple geometric elements such as lines, shapes and grids bring about powerful engagement with eyes.

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Bridget Riley (British, 1931-), Intake.