Unit 3: Painted Landscapes

Impressionism

1. Began in the 1870s

2. Named after a critic’s insult of Monet’s painting. The critic called the work a mere “impression”.

3. Happened in France. Artists painted landscapes & people.

4. Artists used short, thick brushstrokes

5. Artists also used optical mixing – placing primary colours next to each other (mixing on the painting)

Impressionism: Claude Monet

Impressionism: Claude Monet1. Father of the Impressionist movement

2. Subject matter – he painted outside; known for painting lily pads & ponds

3. Style: Used optical mixing (mixed colours on the

canvas) Form is undefined, fuzzy; created by changes in

colour, no outlines Thick, textured paint Shadows were created by adding blue.

Impressionism: Edgar Degas

Impressionism: Edgar Degas

1. Subject matter: women doing everyday activities (like bathing), and dancers

2. Style: Thick, textured brushstrokes Off-centre compositions Sometimes used pastel instead of paint His paintings look like snap-shots

Impressionism: Mary Cassatt

Impressionism: Mary Cassatt

1. American Impressionist

2. Subject matter: social and private lives of women; often painted mothers with their children.

3. Style: Highly influenced by Degas' use of pastels Loose, textured brushstrokes Showed women doing everyday activities, like

reading.

Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionist artists were influenced by Impressionists, but developed their style in different directions.

They continued to use vivid colours, thick application of paint, and real-life subject matter like the Impressionists.

Unlike the Impressionists, they emphasized geometric forms, distorted form for expressive effect, and used unnatural colour for expression.

Post-Impressionism: Pointillism (Seurat)

Post-Impressionism: Pointillism

1) Subject Matter: They painted landscapes and people

2) Style: Named because the painters used lots of dots No outlines

3) Georges Seurat was a major Pointillist painter.

Post-Impressionism: V. Van Gogh

Post-Impressionism: Van Gogh

1) Subject matter: scenes that showed emotion; painted landscapes and people;

regarded as the father of Expressionism (art that focused on expressing emotion)

1) Style: thick, patterned brushstrokes non-realistic colour; often used

complementary colours (like violet and yellow)

Post-Impressionism: Cezanne

Post-Impressionism: Cezanne

1. Subject matter: landscapes, people, still lives

2. Style: he simplified nature into geometric forms (for

example, a tree trunk looks like a cylinder, an apple or orange is a sphere)

He applied paint in square-like shapes.

Post-Impressionism: Gauguin

Post-Impressionism: Gauguin

1. Subject Matter: landscapes and people in Tahiti

2. Style: experimental use of colour flat areas of colour (not as much shading) bold outlines He was inspired by the simplicity of African art

and Native American art.

Group of Seven

1. Began in the 1920s in Canada

2. Influenced by the bold colours and loose brushwork of Post-Impressionism.

3. Lawren Harris named them. They were a group of 7 painters.

4. Inspired by Tom Thomson, they painted Canadian landscapes.

5. Key feature of the style: slightly abstract views of nature

Group of Seven: Tom Thomson

Group of Seven: Tom Thomson

1. Subject matter: landscapes of Algonquin Park

2. Style: thick, textured brushstrokes simplified forms (sometimes outlined) mixed colour on the canvas usually had trees in the scene Inspiration for the Group of Seven (died before its

formation)

Group of Seven: Lawren Harris

Group of Seven: Lawren Harris

1. Subject matter: mostly wintery mountain scenes

2. Style: Very simplified forms Geometric, controlled lines Smooth brushwork Founder of the Group of Seven

Group of Seven: Emily Carr

Group of Seven: Emily Carr

1. Subject matter: aboriginal (native) culture, and landscapes of British Columbia

2. Style: Simplified, elongated form (super tall trees) Used rhythmic brushstrokes; the brushstrokes

form patterns. Often painted totem poles Carr was an honorary member of the Group of

Seven, even though the Group was based in Toronto and she was in B.C.

Landscape1

You will create a landscape that has three sections: A background (more than 10 steps away) A middle-ground (about 5 steps away) A foreground (objects that are the closest)

You will use watercolour.

You will use cool colours in the background and middle-ground and warm colours in the foreground.

Landscape1: Design Process

We will go outside to practice different styles of drawing:

gesture drawing (basic shapes)

contour drawing (outlines only)

naturalistic drawing (as detailed and realistic as possible)

Yo will also practice different watercolour techniques.

Experiments with Paint1. Practice mixing different colours, including shades and tints of each

colour. To make a colour darker, add blue – NOT black. To make a

colour lighter, add water.

2. Practice the wet-on-wet technique. Place water on the paper first; then

add colour.

3. Practice the graded wash technique. Place a stroke of paint. Add water to your brush, and place another stroke down that slightly overlaps your first stroke.

4. Practice showing value on a sphere, cylinder, and a cone. To darken a colour, add blue. To lighten a colour, add water. (Draw the shapes lightly with pencil first).

5. Practice painting the objects you will place in the foreground of your painting. Practice the fine details (like leaves and thin branches) with a thin brush. Remember the foreground will be in warm colours.

Landscape2

You will create a representational abstract landscape.

Your landscape will be based on real-life observation (i.e. we will work outside).

You will use watercolour, and after painting you will accent key areas with black ink (fine pt. marker).

Landscape2: Abstraction

Some of the best abstract work is based on real life (representational abstract).

You will start your landscapes by drawing realistically.

In order to abstract your landscape, you will identify its key characteristics and emphasize them.

You will use warm colours for bright areas/closer areas, and cool colour for areas that are dark or further away.

Landscape2: Design Process

Like the Impressionist painters, we will work outside. Dress for the weather! (jackets, footwear, gloves)

Practice: 1. gesture drawing, 2. contour drawing,

3. finished drawings,4. abstracted drawings,5. painted studies

Artist’s Statement: Landscape

1. How did you abstract your image? Your answer should include an analysis of the key characteristics of your image.

1. Describe how you used 3 elements of art in your artwork.

1. Describe how you achieved emphasis on a particular area in your landscape.

Activism

Definition: taking an active role in society’s issues/concerns

“Taking an active role” can mean many things:

- talking about the issues

- appealing to governments

- making artwork that presents different aspects of the issues

Contemporary Artists Christo (new ways of seeing familiar landscapes)

Contemporary Artists

Maya Lin (Vietnam War Veterans Memorial)

The viewer sees him/herself as part of the artwork.

Contemporary Artists Mona Hatoum (Continental Drift -

stainless steel, glass, iron filings, electric motor, timer)

Passing of time.

Contemporary Artists Robert Smithson (Spiral Jetty – studying how things break down)

Citizenship

What are the rights & responsibilities of an artist?

Activist Artists Andy Goldsworthy (impermanence of nature)

Activist Artists Joseph Beuys

“Only from art can a new concept of economics be formed, in terms of human need, not in the sense of use and consumption, politics and property, but above all in terms of the production of spiritual goods…”

Activist Artists Ana Mendieta

Permanent Link

(violence against women)

Activist Artists

Nancy Holt (“re-orient the viewer's eye and to cause them to notice settings that would have otherwise have gone unrecognized”)

Citizenship – what is it?A. Being a good citizen means being a member of a community, and

benefiting from rights & responsibilities in that community

A. Community Issues

1. Physical (outside)

2. Mental (inside) environments

3. Work with a partner (the person next to you) to list examples of

the different levels of issues. Think about personal concerns,

local concerns, & global concerns.

Personal Local National Global

Stress/anxietyBullying

HomelessnessGangs

Civil warAssassinations

PovertyWars

Activist Project

A. You will create a poster/T-shirt design that makes a persuasive statement about a social concern.

A. This project focuses on developing graphic design.

Sketchbook assignment: 1. Identify the statement you want to make. 2. Complete 3 thumbnail sketches. 3. Use colour & word design.

Activist Project Requirements

1. Should GRAB the viewer’s attention.(use contrast & emphasis)

2. Must have a clear message.(symbolic images, text)

3. It must focus on ONE principle of art:emphasis, balance, contrast, rhythm/ movement, etc.

Women from WW2

Using Word Design

A. It should be neat & legible.

A. It should match the mood in the rest of the poster (angry, sad, happy, hopeful…)

A. It should have correct spelling & grammar (make sure to check & double-check this).

Activist Project Using graphic design, you must create an

artwork that makes a persuasive statement about a cultural concern.

Focus on incorporating one principle of art, either unity OR contrast.

Identify your message before designing your artwork. Your project must convey that message!

Artist’s Statement: Graphic Design ProjectWhat statement did you make? Why is it

important?

Describe how you focused on one principle of design.

Describe two aspects you like about your design. Describe one aspect that could be better.

Site-specific/ Installation Art

Work that is intended for a specific location

This kind of artwork sometimes involves 3-dimensional forms that are sometimes a part of their setting (found objects).

Installation artwork can also be 2-dimensional.

Strong relationships are needed between the sculptural form, the artist’s message, and the setting in which the artwork is located.

You will design a hanging sea creature using plaster & wire.

Examples of Installation ArtRichard Serra

Examples of Installation Art

Rachel Whitread

Examples of Installation Art

Tara Donovan

Examples of Installation Art

Antony Gormley

Examples of Installation Art

Sadashi Inuzuka

Examples of Installation Art

Isamu Noguchi

Examples of Installation Art

Barbara Hepworth

Installation Project

Remember:

The installation piece must relate to its surroundings; it has to complement its environment.

Consider the materials we have available.

Installation Project: Design Process

Create 5 thumbnail sketches.

Once you have selected the best idea, draw it in fine detail. Your design must fill the space of the paper provided to you.

You may use watercolour or oil pastels. Experiment with both materials, and plan how you will colour your design.

Results of the Installation Project

I will select the best five designs/proposals.

You will vote for your first choice. Of course, your choice will be anonymous.

I will present your proposal to the Principal, and discover whether it is possible to actually make the artwork full scale.

Installation Project Proposal(Artist’s Statement)

1. What does your installation mean? What message are you trying to convey?

1. How does your installation convey that message? What elements & principles of art helped you to communicate through this artwork?

1. How does your artwork relate to its environment? First describe the courtyard; then talk about how the installation relates to those characteristics.

Examples of Mixed Media Art

Marcel Duchamp(Dada artist, the art of nonsense)

Lucas Samaras

Examples of Mixed Media Art

Betye SaarExamples of Mixed Media Art

Louise Nevelson (using recycled parts)Examples of Mixed Media Art

Edgar Degas

Van Gogh

Harris