Reading A Medieval Church: Creativity In The Service Of Meaning

In today’s society, we are constantly being bombarded with visual art forms. Whether they be classical paintings from the Renaissance, a towering and modern skyscraper, or even a cheesy 90’s R&B music video, they all have one thing in common. According to Carolyn Dean’s definition, these would all fall under the category of “art by intention.” In her essay “The Trouble with (The Term) Art” she advocates a distinction between art by intention and what she deems “art by appropriation.” The difference is that one work was created with the intention of being consumed for visual pleasure, while the other was not. However having been educated in the Western school of thought, many art historians cannot help but project their rigid definition of art onto civilizations that may have

In her third chapter of the 2010 textbook Look! The Fundamentals of Art History, Anne D’Alleva argues that when art is examined, it should be seen as a part of society and not just a product of society. By explaining the idea that contextual analysis examines the social, political, spiritual and economic significance she explores the challenge of performing a historical analysis on a piece of art stripped of its original societal and cultural context. D’Alleva’s purpose is to highlight this discourse through examples to provide a better process for interpretation of art. Her audience remains as those exploring art and its impact on culture, namely academically, positioning herself distant from the material exempt when providing examples. The

Symbols are utilized as a way for human beings to give expression their abstract ideas. Every religion and ideology has its own visual symbol, which illustrates a significant feature of its history or beliefs. Christianity is rich in tradition and symbolism. The most recognized symbol is the cross, the implement of the salvation. William Penn said, “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” In Matthew 10:39 Jesus also stated, “He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross made the cross become one of the most influential symbols of Christianity for its victory over sin and death.

Art History is the study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts. The history of art, we feel, can sometimes be confused with art criticism. However, Art History is concerned with finding the value of the artistic piece in respect with others in the same category of art or movement, and art criticism is more of an evaluation of art. The art examined best represents the culture during the time period, visions the artist imagined, and history behind an event. It also represents society in a specific area, beliefs the people may have, writing that tells a story, the natural world and environment, conflict between people and areas, and the human body. With these representations, artwork overall represents the life in which we live (d). Each piece has its own genre, design, format and style to it. This makes each piece extremely different, yet pleasing to the eye. They also vary between paintings, sculptures and architecture. These different types also make a variety of artwork to be seen by all people. The art pieces that I chose, Jar, Bottle and Glass by Juan Gris, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí, and Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, seemed interesting to me and I believe to best represent the context in which they were created, along with the major artistic movements of the time. I went on to research them more thoroughly to better understand the history behind them,

Museums add new context for artworks, since historical items were not made to be in modern museums. A Pair of Sensing Angels by Circle of Bernaert Orley are two ‘one by three foot’ oil painting on wood from 1535-1540 that depicts two angels. When looking at “A Pair of Censing Angels” we can infer the subject, the value the painting held, and how the meaning alters in its present setting. This visual analysis will describe the artwork, analyze the formal elements used, and how the formal elements of the work and display affects the viewer.

Art by its nature is a subject of the philosophical, social, economic, political or religious context surrounding its creator. More often than not, a work of art addresses a specific topic or somewhat revolves around a particular person. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the context of a piece of painting, either historical or cultural, to its intrinsic value or the artwork's meaning. On the other hand, different cultures and time utilized specific conventions that govern the representation of objects of creativity. This essay highlights various pieces of art and their relationship to particular cultural, political, economic, or social settings. Moreover, it pinpoints how different times influence art presentation.

In Fred Kleiner’s Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, he has listed some of the oldest and most ancient works of art discovered from different archeological site, which were later transferred to various museums. As we delve deeper into the chapters, we discover how art forms evolve across different time lines – from the art of the Paleolithic period to the arts of the near-East and Egypt. The works of art across the different timelines also indicate the kind of culture people have, because such culture can be seen in how they present their arts. Therefore, there is a clear development that is happening back then, because of the evolution of the arts and the presentation of the artists based on their culture. Taking everything into consideration, this project aims to discuss how arts develop throughout the different timelines – the Paleolithic period and the Ancient near-East and Egypt – and how such art forms present the cultural context of the artists.

Notwithstanding anyone specific expertise or knowledge of painting technique, each of us can quantify beauty as it relates to art in our own minds. We can see the growth of art and how it provokes emotion, understanding, and experimentation over time. Over the course of time, it appears that art, artist, and the lovers of the various periods of art seem to move beyond a name or basic aesthetics of style and venture into a deeper more comparative analysis of the work and its position in our culture.

In the twentieth century, the views of orthodox Marxism spiked a discussion that addressed the socioeconomic contrast between art history and social art history, revolutionizing the process of how art history was researched and interpreted. Until this time, Marxists believed that traditional art historians merely touched surface of the artwork’s background by identifying the artist, the medium, the time period it was created in, and how the piece was a product of its society. From there, they come to a conclusion as to why the details in the paintings hinted toward these cultural normalcies and traditions of whatever specific society they were researching into. However, Marxist art historians dug much deeper than that, researching particular cultural customs and

Over the years, Christians developed their own type of art called iconography. “Iconography is the subject matter of a work, both literal (factual) and figurative (symbolic).” (Sayre 122) Icons were used for many things to signify or identify Christianity. For example, some of the apostles, Jesus' followers, have symbols for them. There was an ox for Luke, an eagle for John, and a lion for Mark. Chi Rho is also a

Art is all around us. There are many different forms of art. It can be something created, captured, or it can be already existent. Not a single person is to say what makes something art because there is a different definition for everyone. However, there are a couple factors that come into mind whenever someone decides to declare something as art. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting four different pieces of art. I will be discussing each art piece’s form, time period of creation, intention or purpose, and value. These four pieces of art are Michelangelo’s Pieta, Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, Mark Rothko’s No.61, and the “Oyster Dress” by Alexander McQueen. These works of art come in all different shapes and sizes but they are valued

One notices that all of these symbols are from times nearing the end (or at the end) of Jesus' life. (Think of a point to do with this).

Throughout the vast history of art, historians can find connections throughout the centuries. Artists from the beginning of humankind have been inspired by the world around them. From the Apollo 11 stones to present day, history and culture have provided inspiration and have been the focus of various pieces. Examining artwork from the 15th-18th century, viewers can be shown a whole world that would be unknown to us without these artist’s contributions. History, religion, and cultural events have sculpted the art world, and we can observe this through many pieces during the 15th-18th centuries.

As onlookers peer into the artworks in front of them, there is no question as to whether or not they considered what the artwork means, where it came from and what the artist was interested in who created it. The

Skills for visual and written analysis have emerged to be a central debate in different art societies. Writing about art has materialized to become a variable way to practice cultural, social, economic and political aspects. Precisely, a personal response to an art piece increases the understanding of the piece of art. As such, the role of individuals such as curators has become essential in improving the understanding of art. Evidence has proved that visual art has far reaching impact in reading, writing, geometry and science. Visual art creates an innate mental ability that envisions forms and observe closely different skills. Precisely, visual art is seen as a cultural vehicle that helps culture to share ideas. The incoming report investigates the works of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867, who was NeoClassical painter. Ingres images perpetuate an alluring and rather misleading image of the orient. The report will compare a variety of images to provide a more truthful understanding of the Near East culture.