Whether you're Leonardo da Vinci, Bob
Ross, or third grader, I bet your art is
about one of these eight things.
Ok, so we're going to look at chapter 3
and discuss the various themes of art.
Art is often about something and if it's
about something, then it's more than
likely about one of these 8 themes. The
first theme is the sacred realm. Since
ancient times, art has played an
important role in religion and in the
sacred realm of the Spirit. And all kinds
of forms and spaces have been designated
to create and inhibit worship prayers
and rituals to communicate and connect
to the divine. It seems as well if we're
hardwired to worship something greater
than ourselves. And art not only served
as a medium of connectivity and worship,
it also reflects the faith and belief of
the worshippers. This is a painting of
the Virgin Mary beholding the
Christ child surrounded by angels.
So based on this painting, what is one
thing we know about italy's 13th century
religious convictions?
Well perhaps one of the obvious things
is that we know that the Virgin Mary is
important to them that's why she is the
largest, has the most frontal position,
ands dominate the competition. Now this
painting actually tells us a lot more
about other aspects of their faith and
convictions because, you know, like they
say, a picture's worth a thousand words.
The next thing discussed in the text is the theme
of politics and social order political.
Figures have often used art in order to
push or promote their own political
agenda. And so before there were such
things as political tweets and Facebook
memes, political propaganda was spread by
sculptors, painters, and architects. And so
if a Roman emperor wanted to be remembered
for his military muscle, and his lineage
to the goddess Venus, he makes a statue
of himself with his military resume
carved into his breastplate. And then he
puts Cupid and a dolphin at his ankle to remind
people of his family tree. Which, I might
add, is a pretty fantastic move. Much more
clever than simply saying-- hashtag--- "I'm
with Venus."
Here's another Roman Emperor who wanted
to be seen as a Greek philosopher king
and so he's depicted with a beard while
powerfully riding a horse. And not only
has sculpture been used for propaganda,
but rulers have even used architecture
So if you're an Egyptian king, and you
believe you're safe passage to the
afterlife affects the fate of your
people, I think a big pyramid does a good
job communicating the importance of it.
So art is often used to promote
political figures, and it's also used to
promote political agendas and ideas.
I mean-- nothing says let's rise up and
overthrow the king of France quite as
effectively as this fiery painting. Even
Picasso couldn't refrain from using art
to make a political statement about the
horrors of war after Germans drop bombs
on civilians in the Spanish town of
Guernica.
So art can be used to tell a political
message, but it could also be used to
tell stories. Narrative subjects have
been a long-standing tradition in art. I
mean, as humans, we just naturally are
inclined to tell stories. And we desire
to hear stories and there's this rich
history and various methods of
telling stories in art. But art doesn't
have to tell a story or even offer a
significant insight into the political
or the Sacred realm. Sometimes we just
want to view art about the here and now.
And so when we look outward-- what do we
see? Here is a painting by Edward Hopper
of a man alone at a gas station
on just an ordinary quiet evening. And
sometimes these raw, honest life moments
that are picked up by the artist that's
looking outward, they can be particularly
moving. And as some artists look outward
to the world around them, some artists
focus on the world within them.
Art has a powerful way of peering into
the recesses of one soul, which is why
art is often used for therapeutic
practices. Meta Warrrick Fuller took this
inward-looking approach in her sculpture,
"Talking Sculpture," which depicts an
African-American gazing at a skull
while contemplating mortality--
and perhaps the repercussions of
historic slavery. Another theme often
explored by artists is that of invention
and fantasy. The history of art is filled
with people who let their imaginations
run wild, and it's amazing and even
inspiring to see the works and ideas that
could result from someone else's fantasy.
I think we can all admit that a break
from reality is sometimes what we need
the most. Themes relating to the natural
world have peaked artist's interest again
and again, often being inspired by nature.
It's really no wonder that nature would
be a major theme for artists in and of
itself. So whether that be celebrating
the landscapes of the New World by
artists like the Hudson River School,
showing the vastness and power of nature
and comparison to man like in this
Chinese ink drawing, or even using nature
as the sculptural medium like in this
earth work by Robert Smithson, nature
continues to intrigue and inspire
artists. And when artists aren't looking
to nature for inspiration, sometimes
they're looking to other works of art. So
the last thing discussed in this chapter
is art that is inspired by art. And
just like musicians will often remake
versions of songs that they admire or
they'll utilize them in some other way,
so artists, at times, will offer
tributes to artwork that they admire and
refer to historic art in their own
original creations.
There are many different themes and
directions for artists to explore and
all of these things mentioned here
demonstrate the commonalities of
humanity. And they indicate which ideas
that we deem to be important and
worthwhile.
So that's sums up chapter 3. Lots
of exciting stuff to explore next time
as we discuss the language and
elements of art. See you then!