Lecture on Style in Art
Introduction
- Topic: Understanding 'style' in art
- Defined as the distinctive handling of elements and media associated with an artist, school, movement, culture, or time period.
Example Works and Styles
1. Amorous Couple
- Medium: Polychrome ceramic
- Culture: Mayan
- Era: Late Classic (8th to 10th century A.D.)
- Region: Yucatan Peninsula
- Identifying Features:
- Distinct cultural look, including headdress and clothing styles.
2. Roy Lichtenstein
- Style: Pop Art
- Characteristics:
- Looks like comic books with flat colors and bold lines.
- Use of three primary colors (blue, red, yellow).
- Concept of appropriation - borrowing images from mass-produced comic books to create unique works of art.
3. Jackson Pollock
- Style: Abstract Expressionism / Action Painting
- Characteristics:
- Chaotic, non-representational.
- Influenced by psychoanalysis and unconscious expression.
- Technique related to psychic automatism (similar to surrealists).
4. Grant Wood's American Gothic
- Style: Regionalism
- Characteristics:
- Realistic, naturalistic style.
- Reflects Midwestern life during the Great Depression.
- Influenced by Flemish painting and early Northern Renaissance style.
5. Jan van Eyck's Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride
- Style: Early Northern Renaissance
- Characteristics:
- Use of oil paint for luminosity and color.
- Detailed, symbolic, and narrative elements.
- The use of mirrors and reflections to show skill and narrative depth.
6. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's The Two Girlfriends
- Style: Impressionism
- Characteristics:
- Loose brushwork and abstract appearance.
7. Robert Mapplethorpe's Photography
- Characteristics:
- Formal style emphasizing contrast.
- Often associated with modern photography and formalism.
8. Oscar Kokoschka's The Tempest
- Style: Expressionism
- Characteristics:
- Reflects emotional state and psychological depth.
- Personal and historical influences (e.g., breakup, war).
9. René Magritte's The Lovers 2
- Style: Surrealism
- Characteristics:
- Dream-like, bizarre imagery.
- Influenced by Freudian theories on the unconscious.
10. Gustav Klimt's The Kiss
- Style: Viennese Secession, influenced by Art Nouveau and Byzantine art.
- Characteristics:
- Decorative, abstract surface with gold, silver, and platinum.
11. Auguste Rodin's The Kiss
- Style: Modernism, Realism
- Characteristics:
- Naturalistic proportions with an abstract unfinished base.
12. Constantin Brancusi's The Kiss
- Style: Proto-Cubism/Organic Sculpture
- Characteristics:
- Simplified forms drawing from ancient influences.
- Contrast with Rodin's naturalism.
13. Barbara Hepworth's Two Figures (Menhirs)
- Style: Modern Abstract Sculpture
- Characteristics:
- Organic, abstract forms with historic references (standing stones).
14. Barbara Kruger's We Don't Need Another Hero
- Style: Appropriation Art
- Characteristics:
- Feminist themes challenging gender roles.
- Appropriation of Norman Rockwell's imagery and style.
Conclusion
- Key Quote: Andy Warhol's view on the fluidity of artistic style.
- Emphasizes the idea that art styles are diverse and can be interchangeable.
These notes summarize key points and examples from a lecture on style in art, illustrating various movements, famous works, and the broader context and interpretation of style across history.