Instructor: S.Worley MUSEUM ASSIGNMENT WORKSHEET Choose artwork on display at the MFAH.org or MENIL.org See chapters 4-8 Visual Elements and Principles of Design in SAYRE A WORLD OF ART textbook for complete definitions of the visual elements and principles of design. Take notes for a comparison and contrast paper on two artworks at one of the Houston art museums (1 Menil Collection www.menil.org; 2) Museum of Fine Arts Houston www.mfah.org Choose from among the following topics: Menil Collection 1) compare and contrast a Byzantine icon with an African tribal sculpture Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 2) compare and contrast an Italian Renaissance painting with a Greek vase painting or Roman sculpture Menil Collection, or MFAH 3) Modern and Contemporary art: compare and contrast a contemporary nonrepresentational artwork (i.e. Barnet Newman; Mark Rothko; Jackson Pollock; David Smith (sculpture or painting) with an early 20th century modern abstract artwork (i.e. Picasso; Matisse) Artist: Jukun people Region/Country: Nigeria, possibly Taraba River Valley, possibly Wurbon Daudu Wood Title: Jukun peoples; standing female figure Date: late 19th century Medium: wood Style: Sculpture. Patron: Wurbon Daudu Artist: Workshop of Dionisius Region/Country: Russia Title: Saint Athanasius Date: 1500-1520 Medium: Tempera on wood Style: Russian Byzantine Patron: Russia, Moscow School Cultural context and artist’s biography (see museum label and museum catalogues of general collections located in museum bookstores and libraries): The Jukun people are an ethnic group of people Dionisius was a Russian born in the 15th from west Africa. They are partly Nigerians century. He was the head of the school of and partly Cameroonians. iconic painters in Moscow. The Muscovite mannerism was the style of painting he was known for. Visual Elements: In taking notes on the various visual elements, be sure to relate them directly to the artist and style. In other words consider how the handling of paint (precise or loose brushwork) is characteristic of a specific artist’s style. Or is the abstraction and stylization or ideal and naturalistic representation of the human form characteristic of a particular region, style and culture? Subject (who or what is represented): It is a figurative sculpture of an ideal being for the Jukun people. It is a painting of Saint Athanasius Style (Abstract and Stylized or Realistic, Naturalistic, Ideal?): Ideal – representing an ideal rather than a human being. Minimalism – the artist only painted was what necessary. Iconography (symbolism or narrative): The sculptures were used in ritual ceremonies for healing. The painting is a representation of Saint Athanasius who was a Bishop in the Coptic Orthodox Church. Form (shape or structure; 2 dimensional or 3 dimensions): A 3 dimension object sculpture A 2 dimension painting Composition (arrangement of forms in space; balanced; symmetrical; asymmetrical) The composition is symmetrical The composition is asymmetrical Technique (handling of materials): It was curved out of woods with intricate patterns depicting the culture of the people Tempera on wood was applied in thin layers over and over to achieve the desired texture and color Line (contour; implied line of sight; thick; precise; broken): It is an intricate 3-D form that is precise The lines were precise to have the desired outcome Light (additive or natural; reflected; implied inside or outside the picture frame): Since it is a 3-D object, light reflects off of it showcasing all the designs of the sculpture. Light is implied in the picture with the way we can see the different colors forming the subject of the painting. Color (value/tonality (light or dark) /hue (name) /saturation or intensity (relative purity) The tone here is dull representing the lack of use of color by the people in that era in Africa. The colors used are bright and vibrant and since the tempera method was used, it takes a while for the color to fade away. Chiaroscuro (shading or modeling of form with dark and light): No shading in this sculpture; light is used to reflect on the sculpture to highlight the shape of the model. Shading was done with bright colors to highlight the subject of the painting. Texture (quality of surface; rough, shiny, smooth): The sculpture is slightly rough mainly due to its usage in ritual ceremonies. The tempera painting has a matte finish Pattern: The patterns used represent the attribute of the Jukun people like the decorative beads on the arms and in the waist and a painted face. The patterns used were straight lines with different colors for decoration Mass (bulk density): It was made for ritual ceremonies and out of wood so it wasn’t that heavy It was made of wood so it was not that heavy Volume (space mass organizes): It measures at 59.7 × 20 × 22.2 cm It measures at 113 × 32.1 × 2.5 cm Perspective (linear, aerial, estimated, vanishing point, orthogonals; creates the illusion space recedes into the distance on a 2D surface): linear linear Foreshortening (figures represented at angles to the picture plane surface and literally shortened to create the illusion of 3-D and projection into space): The grooves on the model representing different decorative patterns. The manuscript the saint is holding has the illusion of 3-D Proportion (relation of parts to the whole; i.e. Canon of ideal human proportions): Not proportional; the object appears shorter than a normal person with a rather large head. Not proportional; the subject of the painting appears to be taller that a normal human being. Scale (relative size relation between members of a group; hierarchy of scale: one figure is larger than the rest): The head is nominally bigger compared to representative figure of an actual human that it was designed after. The subject has relative normal scale representative of a human figure. Time and Motion: N/A N/A Emphasis and Focal Point: Emphasis is on the female feature to depict the point of the sculpture. Emphasis is on the manuscript that has the message; Master Human-loving Lord let your judgment not against me. Unity and Variety The intricate patterns and carvings form the subject of the sculpture. The lines, colors, and patterns come together to form the subject of the painting. Repetition and Rhythm The repetitive markings on the sculpture come together to form a pattern that showcases the style of the people in that era. There are repetitive patterns on the subjects clothing showcasing what kind of attire the subject of the painting was wearing
Purchase answer to see full attachment