Class outing #2

(15/03/2012)


We met again today at the National Gallery of Australia for what was another informative lesson in art history. Thanks again to Tess's involvement with the establishment, we were able to utilise the small theatre within the gallery for a powerpoint presentation and group discussion.


Notes from this lesson:


Modernism - rose to status around 1855 in Paris. A time of great industrial revolution in France. It was a period where artists began to be seen as something of a status symbol. They also began to step away from tradition in order to explore other ways of seeing the world in ways most people found hard to accept. It is believed to be the birth of the "ism" movements.


Bold artists started to bush the boundaries of realism and expressive ways by freeing up their technique. Imperfections were now encouraged in comparison to those who came before them.


With so much man-made change going on throughout this period, many artists depicted dream-like worlds/scenes as a way of escaping it all.


The rise of Photography also had an affect on artists. As if they would lock themselves away from the world in an attic, driven to paint absolute masterpieces in protest. They found it to be obtrusive and a threat to their income, for people were now turning to the amazement of this new technology. Yet at the same time, artists used this in a positive way to push themselves to create new work in order to retain their reputation.


Fauves - was a style of working in an un-realistic way, with radical shape and colour.


Post Modernism - changed the perspective of view to bring new interest to the viewer. Shifting away from the classic centre weighted view of the world as seen in previous movements.


1853 - opened up a new cultural revolution for artists around the world thanks to the asian countries allowing foreigners into their harbours and also their way of life. This was well received by westerners and certainly inspired them to explore the styles witnessed in countries like Japan.


The Japanese style was simple, but effective. It offered radical new perspective and cropping of the scene within the artist's frame. Rich new colours were present and the sense of a story being told for future generations.


When asked about Japanese culture and it's art, Claude Monet replied "There is nothing useless about it". Being fascinated by Japanese culture myself, i can only agree with his comment.


In conclusion, the link between Photography and Art has and always will remain strong throughout time. They also continue to challenge and inspire each other. 






D.






Paintings that took my interest were:


Cezanne:

Hiroshige:

Monet:

Matisse:

Utamaro: