THE VISUAL WORLD
Important terms & ideas from
Sayre, Chapters 1-3
Roles of the Artist
 Artists help us see the world in new or innovative ways
 Artists make a visual record of the people, places, and events
of their time and place
 Artists make functional objects and structures (buildings)
more pleasurable and elevate them or imbue them with
meaning.
 Artists give form to immaterial—hidden or universal truths,
spiritual forces, personal feelings.
Seeing & Visual Literacy
 “Seeing is believing” is a common assumption.
 Seeing is both physical and psychological.
Visual conclusions are influenced by an individual’s complex
perception of the world: filtered through history, fears, emotions,
customs, desires.
Concepts of Visual Literacy:
The relationships among words, images, and objects in the world
The idea of representation
The distinctions among form and content in art
Conventions in art
Iconography
Words & Images
Rene Magritte, The Treason of Images, 1929
Oil on Canvas 21 ½ x 28 ½ in.
Words & Images
What is this?
Representational
portrays natural objects in recognizable form
Realism
attempts to be photo-realistic
Abstraction
is representational, but less realistic
Nonrepresentational (or non-objective)
does not refer to the natural or objective world at
all Andy Warhol, Race Riot, 1963, Acrylic & silkscreen on canvas,
four panels each 20 x 30 inches.
Albert Bierstadt, The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak, 1863, oil
on canvas, 73 ½” x 120 ¾”
Naturalism: realistic elements, but presented in a biased or
subjective way
Albert Bierstadt, The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak, 1863, oil
on canvas, 73 ½” x 120 ¾”
Kasimir Malevich,
Suprematist Painting, Black
Rectangle, Blue Triangle,
1915, oil on canvas, 26 1/8”
x 22 ½”
Form & Content in NonObjective art
In this example, the art is
about form. So its content
has to do with form.
Malevich is demonstrating
how purely formal
relationships can transform
otherwise static forms into
a visually dynamic
composition.
Kasimir Malevich, Suprematist Painting, Black
Rectangle, Blue Triangle, 1915, oil on canvas,
26 1/8” x 22 ½”
Iconography and Cultural Context
Iconography: a system of visual images the
meaning of which is widely understood by
a given cultural group.
Symbols: visual images that represent
something more than their literal meaning
Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite
Light, Kamakura period, Japan, 13th century
Mudra: symbolic hand gestures
Raised right hand: symbolizes
Buddha’s fearlessness
Lowered left hand: symbolizes the
granting of protection
Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite
Light, Kamakura period, Japan, 13th century
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charles the First, 1982,
Acrylic & oil paintstick on canvas, 78 x 62 in.
Basquiat employs symbols of his
own & other’s making to create a
coded visual language
“S”: Superman, and SAMO
(Basquiat’s graffiti pen name)
Crown: Basquiat’s symbol for
African American hero
“X”: OK, All right. Basquiat
discovered this in a book section
“Hobo Signs.” But we also
associate X with a negativecrossing out.
What other symbols do you see?
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charles the First, 1982,
Acrylic & oil paintstick on canvas, 78 x 62 in.
Iconography & symbols “logo” exercise
Art & Public Perception Group work
THE GATES, CHRISTO & JEANNE- CLAUDE
2005
Central
Park,
NY
http://www.nyc.gov/html/thegates/html/about.html
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DAMIEN HIRST
Art as a commodity
What is the value of art?
Damien Hirst, For the Love
of God, 2007, platinum,
diamonds, human teeth
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/arts/design/13skul.html
THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY, CHRIS OFILI
Chris Ofili
Controversy, public
(mis)understanding
http://www.artcrimes.net/holyvirgin-mary
TILTED ARC, RICHARD SERRA
Public sculpture
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/
flashpoints/visualarts/tiltedarc_a.html
THE HOMELESS VEHICLE PROJECT,
KRZVSZTOF WODICZKO
1987-1989
Activism in art
http://www.designboom.com/eng/archi/
wodiczko.html