Unit 5: Contextual Influences in Art Design

The Worlds Most Expensive PaintingsChristie’s is a British art auction and showroom.

Value isn’t always connected to the quality of art.

Provenance is value found in those who had owned the art in the past.

David Rockefeller once owned ‘White Centre’ and sold it to the Royal Family of Qatar for 72 million dollars. Both Rockefeller and the Qatar Royal family earned their money through oil.

The ‘Massacre of Innocents was sold for 76 million dollars, Rubens is considered an ‘old master’ which considerably increases the price of his paintings. A large number of ‘old master’ paintings are now lost as they were painted so long ago. Wars, social disruption and mysterious buyers have prevented many of these paintings from being accessible to us today. Ken Thomson (the eventual buyer) formed an information company and branched out from it into oth-er fields to earn his fortune.

One of Monets water lily paintings sold for 80 million dollars, it was a signed painting which increases the value. It took him nearly 70 years to paint some of his water lilies.

Van Goghs ‘Sunflowers’ is the best selling postcard in the National Gallery.

Renoirs ‘Au Moulin de la Gallette’ sold for 78.1 million dollars in 1990.

Van Goghs ‘Portrait of Dr.Gachet’ sold for 82.5 million dollars in 1990. It was sold too Ryoei Saito at Christies in New York. It is ru-moured to have been burnt.

Francis Bacons ‘Triptych’ sold for 142 million dollars to Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea FC.

Adele Bloch-Bauer was sold to an unidentified Chinese buyer for 150 million dollars. Restitution art is art that has once been de-stroyed and is repaired, Adele Bloch-Bauer is an example of this.

An anonymous Russian bidder bought Pablo Picassos ‘Dora Maar’ for 95 million dollars. Picasso was 24 years old when he painted ‘Garcon a la pipe’. This was sold in 2004 for 104 million dollars. Steve Wyn, a Picasso collector put his elbow through ‘Le Reve’. Victor and Sally Ganz sold 12 paintings at Sotheby’s which sold for 48.4 million dollars. Victor Ganz was an American business owner and art collector.

‘Nude, Green Leaves and Bust’ by Picasso sold for 106.5 million dollars.

The Genius of Art DocumentaryModern British art began in Cornwall.

A critic called Patrick Heron’s paintings “absurd”. Heron thought art should lift spirits

Bacon thought life was full of pain and suffering.

Francis Bacons art was made to shock post-war Britain.

Peter Blakes work celebrates American culture.

Richard Hamilton is the father of British pop art.

Transient means temporary, when using transient in reference to an art movement it means it will not be permenant.

The UKs economy in the 1970s was struggling. There was a lot of strikes and unemployment was rising, it was generally an unsettling time for British people. This was reflected in the art of the era.

Gilbert and George describe themselves as being ‘unconventional and cheeky’. They were more respectable than rebellious during this era.

Punk was the new spirit for 80s Britain.

At the end of the 80s boom Hirst sold his works for 95 million dollars, he is the richest living artist today.

Charles Saatchi and Maurice Saatchi are part owners of Saatchi and Saatchi, a global communications and advertising company. They also own a gallery in London.

Tracy Emins art was all focused on herself.

Grayson Perry likes to explore themes of chaos in his art. The most important activity in his life is “careless shopping”.

Rationing is where a someone reduces the amount of re-sources they use regularly to prolong the amount of resources over time. This practise is generally used when there is a limited amount of resources. It was used in both world wars in Britain Stiff Upper Lip: is a phrase used to describe an attitude to-wards life. When you display fortitude in the face of adversity.

Abstract Art is art that does not resemble anything. It often conveys meaning through shape and colour.

Post War Britain is Britain just after war-time.

Triptychs are three canvases or etchings hinged vertically to-gether. It is often used as an altar piece.

3 Day Week was a program introduced by the British Con-servative government in 1974. It prohibited commercial use of electricity to three days. This was due to industrial action by coal miners limiting the amount of electricity.

Art Deco

Art Deco is a visual style of architecture and design that originated in France just before world war one. It took its name from Arts Decoratif which was derived from the ‘International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts’ which was held in Paris in 1925.

Some key artists selected by Tate:•Eric Gill•Erte (Romain de Tirtoff)•Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret)

Inspiration/ContextArt Deco is not a single style, but collection of different and sometimes clashing styles. Artists and design-ers used ideas from Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Asia, Oceania and industrial elements. They also went on to borrow from Russian Constructivism and Italian Futurism as well as Functionalism and Modernism.

During the 1920s and 1930s there was a quick rise of commerce and technology. Art Deco celebrated this technology that increased accesibility of new styles of art by bringing them all together. The war had ended a few years prior and spirits were high. It was known as the “Roaring 20s” or “Jazz Age”.

OpinionsI like this movement. As some photography and architecture that I liked was part of this movement unbe-knownst to me. I like the melting pot of cultures and the upbeat attitudes to the future that is reflected in the artwork

Expressionism

Expressionism is an art movement from the twentieth century, it is said to have been started by Vin-cent Van Gogh. Expressionist art is emotional and is characterised by large amounts of paint and colour it is often seen as an extension of Romanticism.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Henri Matisse• Vincent Van Gogh• Francis Bacon

Inspirations/ContextThe movement was developed in the early twentieth century, mostly in Germany. It was formed in reac-tion to the dehumanizing effect of industrialization and the growth of cities. The artists seem to inspired by the people, landscapes and politics surrounding them.

OpinionsI thoroughly appreciate this movement. I agree with their philosphy that the arrangement of lines and colours in a painting alone can convey emotion effectively. I think this was a very formative and profound movement that has shaped modern art.

Futurism

Futurism is art that celebrates the modern world of industry and technology. Almost the opposite of expressionism but they are sometimes suprisingly similar.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Giacomo Balla• Umberto Boccioni• Gino Severini

Inspirations/ContextFuturism was launched by an Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909. Futurism denounces the past because in Italy the past culture felt oppresive. In the manifesto, Marinetti wrote ‘ we will free Italy from her innumerable museums which cover her like countless cemeteries’.

Futurist paintings used elements from neo-impressionism and cubism to create very contemporary, mod-ern art.

OpinionsI think this is an interesting art movement. I can enjoy it, but I also understand why it was dis-used by the end of the first world war as popular art opted for familiarity after being shaken so badly by the war.The mentality behind this movement is also intriguing as it celebrated the future.

Dadaism

Dadaism is art that protests against the war, it was also anti-bourgeois and it had political affiliation with the radical left. It was a style of poetry, singing and collage. It tends to call into question every aspect of society, in a tongue in cheek manner.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Marcel Duchamp• Man Ray• Kurt Schwitters

Inspirations/ContextHans arp wrote: “Revolted by the butchery of the 1914 World War, we in Zurich devoted ourselves to the arts. While the guns rumbled in the distance, we sang, painted, made collages and wrote poems with all our might”.

OpinionsI think Dada is an important movement, it changed what could be considered as art. It introduced a kind of witty shock value, people would not have expected to see a urinal in an art gallery before this. Many would label this as absurd and ridiculous at the time, but I think in hindsight it is widely appreciated for its expansion on art.

Cubism

Cubism was an approach to representing reality in fragmented, abstracted and sometimes cubed paint-ings. The subject of the paintings where often objects and figures sometimes combined.This approach was invented by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in 1907-08. The subject of the paintings where often objects and figures sometimes combined.

There are two recognised types of Cubism; analytical and synthetic. Analytical cubism included darker compositions with more combined lines and shades. The colour palette consisted of muted tones; blacks greys and ochres. Synthetic Cubism is the phase of cubism that followed Analytical, it included simpler shapes and brighter colours. There was also a collaged aspect to this version of Cubism.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Pablo Picasso• Georges Braque• Juan Gris

Inspirations/ContextCubism was partly influenced by Cezanne who paints from a slightly different perspective. Picasso was also inspired by African tribal masks which are non-naturalistically stylised but present a human image.

OpinionsI think analytical Cubism is gloomy, the colour palettes are difficult to enjoy but the style is unique and laid the groundwork for synthetic cubism so it is still important and valuable. I think synthetic Cubism is excellent. I enjoy the colour palletes and the way the artist is able to break down the form of the subject into segments and lines. I think synthetical Cubism is Cubism perfected.

Surrealism

Surrealism is a literary, philosophical and artistic movement.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Pablo Picasso• Georges Braque• Juan Gris

Inspirations/ContextCubism was partly influenced by Cezanne who paints from a slightly different perspective. Picasso was also inspired by African tribal masks which are non-naturalistically stylised but present a human image.

OpinionsI think analytical Cubism is gloomy, the colour palettes are difficult to enjoy but the style is unique and laid the groundwork for synthetic cubism so it is still important and valuable. I think synthetic Cubism is excellent. I enjoy the colour palletes and the way the artist is able to break down the form of the subject into segments and lines. I think synthetical Cubism is Cubism perfected.

Modernism

Modernism was a movement within society and culture during the early twentieth century, it’s inten-tion was to modernise art to fit the experience of modern life. Artists built upon previously set prece-dents using new materials, imagery and techniques to create works that better reflect modern society.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Claude Monet• Andre Derain• Jackson Pollock

Inspirations/ContextModernism was driven by a desire for the world to be improved and was associated with ideal human life in society and a belief in progress.

OpinionsI think modernism is overall a wildly influential movement. I think some sections of it are much better than others as it is such an encompassing term.

Pop-Art

Pop Art is a movement that was conceptualized in the 1950s and was popularized in the 60s. It was based on popular and commercial culture, its spread worldwide during the 60s and 70s.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Roy Lichtenstein• Andy Warhol• David Hockney

Inspirations/ContextPop art began as a revolt against the dominant approach to culture and views as to what art should be. Young artists felt that what they were taught at art school and what they saw in museums didn’t have anything to do with their lives or the things they saw around them every day, instead they turned to pack-aging, advertising, pop music and comic books for their imagery.

OpinionsI think this is one of the most revolutionary movements. It totally altered what people thought of art and what could be art. It was also one of the most rattling for those invested in the art world, furthermore, the visuals derived from this movement have had a massive influence.

Post-Modernism

Postmodernism is a reactionary movement to modernism. The term is associated with scepticism and irony. It critiques and generally disregards the philosophy and style of modernism. Many other smaller movements fall into this bracket.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Jeff Koons• Gilbert and George• Sandro Chia

Inspirations/ContextModernism had been the dominant philosophy and style in art for a long period of time. The artists knew a change was due.

Opinions I think this is an interesting movement as it was almost entirely conceptualized in retaliation to another. It is also the root and inspiration for many great artists and artworks.

Young British Artists

Young British Artists is a label applied to a loose group of British artists who exhibited together in 1988 and became known for their openness to materials and processes, shock tactics and entrepreneurial attitude.

Some key artists selected by Tate:• Damien Hirst• Michael Landy• Angus Fairhurst

Inspirations/ContextGoldsmiths College of Art played an important role in the development of the movement as it had been fostering many new forms of creativity through its courses. They abolished the separation of media and painting, sculpture and printmaking.

OpinionsI think this was the natural course of art during this period; to become increasingly liberal in content and nature. I think these artists were the perfect candidates to push this new agenda.

Tate Sketches/Primary Research

Henri Matisse

Matisse is from France. He is known as the master of colour. Matisses mum and dad were grain mer-chants. Matisse was born in . Matisse’s mother gave him a paint box when he was ill. Matisse travelled to Collioure in the south of France in 1905. Matisse ignored the majority of established painting conventions. Matisse pushed boundaries in the use of colours. Matisse tried to display the new colour palettes in his paintings, he tended to jump around the colour wheel using colours on opposite sides. A Russian textile magnet, Sergei Schukin began to but Matisse’s work in bulk. Schukins collection ended up in the Hermit-age Museum in Saint Petersburg. People thought ‘Music’ and ‘Dance’ were horrifying and barbaric. Com-munist dictator Stalin confiscated Schukin’s collection in 1918. Albert Irvin is one of Britains early abstract artists. Experience was always at the core of Matisse’s work. Matisse tried to join the army but was re-jected because he was too old. Matisse moved to Nice in 1917. He mostly painted semi-naked women. Matisse visited New York for the first time in 1930, he was 60 years old. Matisse’s Red Studio painting in-spired abstract expressionists of the 1950s, particularly Mark Rothko. Lydia Delectorskaya was a film ex-tra, she ended Matisse’s 40-year marriage and was the subject of many nudes. In 1940 the Nazis invaded France, Matisse was also diagnosed with bowel cancer this year. Picasso came to visit Matisse and couldn’t believe that Matisse lived in such a small villa. In 1947 Matisse conceptualized the paper cut-outs, this technique allowed him to apply colour directly. The cut-outs were produced because he was ill and strug-gled to paint. Only 250 copies of ‘Jazz’ were originally published. Matisse made ‘The Snail’ when he was 83, he described the process of making the artwork as ‘like drawing with colour’. An atheist is someone who does not believe in god.

Facts about Matisse:• He was close friends with Pablo Picasso until they later became bitter rivals• He ran his own small art school called Academie Matisse in Paris between 1908 and

1911• He never set out to be an artist, he originally wanted to be a lawyer.• He fell in love with painting when he suffered from appendicitis and was bed-ridden,

his mother brought him art supplies to entertain him• His early paintings were conservative, this was quickly changed when he was intro-

duced to Van Gogh in 1987• For the public some of Matisse’s radical use of colour could be offensive. When ‘Blue

Nude’ first travelled to Chicago students of the Art institute burned an effigy of the work

• Matisse had three cats Minouche, Coussi and La Puce who he fed pieces of brioche to every morning

• He also owned many doves, which he gifted to Picasso in his final days • Matisse’s daughter Marguerite Matisse was a leader of the French resist-

ance during world war two. She was captured by the Gestapo in 1944. She was in a train heading to Ravensbruck concentration camp when an allied bombing run disrupted the train and allowed her to escape

Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was born in 1904 in coastal Spain. He went to Madrid to study Fine Art at the age of 18. Discovering Surrealism changed Dali’s life. Andre Breton started the art movement that Dali was associat-ed with, this movement was a response to the devastating first world war. Surrealism is based on Sigmund Freud’s belief in an inner un-conscious world where emotional and sexual feelings are repressed and you must express them with no censorship. Dali focused on his childhood and adult anxieties through death and sex. The Paranoic critical method is where someone focuses on the objects around them and at-tempts to find other forms within them. Dali made Un Chien Andalou in 1929 with Luis Bunuel. Dali met his wife Gala in 1929. The first British patron of Dali and surrealism was Edward James. ‘The Persistence of memory painting was first shown in New York in and was bought for just $250 it was eventually sold for $550 million. Jeff Koons met Dali in 1973. Damien Hirst’s skull sculpture ‘For the Love of God’ was on sale for £50 million. Dali was dismissed by Surrealists so he instead focused on Hollywood. Dali worked on ‘Spellbound’ with Alfred Hitchcock in 1944, he designed the dream sequences. Dali also worked with Walt Disney. Dali designed the logo for Chupa Chups lollipops. The Dali theatre and museum opened in 1974. Dali died in 1989.

Avant-Garde is new experimental ideas and methods in music, art or literature.

Juxtaposition is when two things are placed together with a strong contrasting effect.

Facts about Dali:• He believed he was a reincarnation of his dead brother.• He was expelled from art school twice.• He didn’t do drugs• Surrealists didn’t like him• He was married to a woman ten years older than him• He pranked Yoko Ono by selling her a blade of grass for

$10,000• He paid his restaurant bills in doodles• He produced covers for Vogue• He created a hologram of Alice Cooper• He built his own museum