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Part
I:
What
is Art?
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Chapter 1: The
Nature of Art
1. The first illustration
in Artforms is of the Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nation’s
Millennium General Assembly by
James
Hampton. Little is known about him and his work. Open the web site
for James Hampton and view his work from the throne. How would you describe
his work to a blind friend? If you were Hampton, what would be your motivation
for making this work?
2. Art is often
created for spiritual reasons. Buddhist monks in Tibet create sand paintings
called mandalas. View the website
"Exploring
the Mandala". Could you be a monk and have the patience to make
a mandala? If you did make a mandala, how would you feel about destroying
it?
3. We've talked about the work of Romare Bearden in class. To learn more
about Bearden and view his paintings visit
Sheldon's
Selections II at the University of Nebraska.
After exploring his work, make a collage in the style of his work, but
referencing Hip-Hop or other contemporary music instead of jazz.
Chapter 2: Awareness,
Creativity, and Communication
1. Visit
the
Watts Towers site. Do you think that this is a work of art? Why or why not?
2. Visit the site
of the
Museum of International Folk Art.
This is a contemporary form of folkart. Look at the folk arts from two
different cultures. What do the differences of the cultures say about
the two kinds of art?
3. To learn more
about the photography of
Edward
Weston visit this website by "masters of photography". Do
you think that all photography is art? If so, why? If not, what makes
some photography art and other photography something else?
Chapter 3: The Language
of Visual Experience
1. Visit Kodak’s
color
website What are the three essential element in order to see color?
How may white light differ? What is the role of the eye in the perception
of color?
2. Visit the site for
James
McNeill Whistler. Read about him and his work. Citing two examples
discuss his approach to color in those particular works.
3. Visit the
Impressionism
website. Click on Experiencing Impressionism and explore the artists
and artworks of this style. Make a collage in the style of the Impressionists.
Chapter 4: Principles
of Design
1. Visit the
Claes
Oldenburg website. Oldenburg is known for how he frequently distorts
the scale of objects by making them much larger than usual. View the Quicktime
film of his work Torn Notebook. What role does scale play in this
work? Would the impact change if it were scale were altered and his work
was tiny, matchbook sized? How?
2. Visit the
Clemente
Orozco website. View his mural The Epic of American Civilization,
and discuss how this work is made forceful from the principle of rhythm
and repetition.
3. Visit the
Principles
of Design website and explore the different aspects of design. Make
a small collage the is balance and another that is asymmetrical.
Chapter 5: Style
1. Native
Americans produce many different varieties of pottery, depending on the
location of the potter's home. Three different types are pictured in the
chapter. Many more can be seen at the web page of the
Hollister
Collection of Southwest Native American Pottery. Find the Hollister
Collection link. Visit two different tribal varieties of pottery and compare
and contrast them discussing how they reflect cultural differences.
2. The influence of some group styles has been influential in the development
of art this century. Visit the
Post-Impressionists
website at Artcyclopedia and review the works and artist. What were
the motivations of these artists? Which
do you prefer: Impressionism or Post-Impressionism?
Chapter 6: Evaluation
and Criticism
1. Robert Hughes is
perhaps the most influential critic of contemporary art that is writing
today. Read his
interview
with Hughes and Paul Solman and discuss his views of America as seen
through art. Do you agree or disagree with his stance? Why or why not?
2. There are many
Questions
In Art Criticism; visit this site and make an argument about the role
of art criticism in contemporary society.
3. When evaluating art the key question is:
Was
it worth seeing? Visit PG News and read Mary Thomas’s critical
response to the current Carnegie International. Her viewpoint may be informed,
but it's also subjective, and a good critique may raise more questions
than it answers. Do you prefer her style of criticism or the style of
Robert Hughes? (See question 1 in this section.)
Special thanks to the Prentice-Hall Companion Website for ARTFORMS!
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