01/10 INTRODUCTION: WESTERN ART

1. Welcome (practical points) Getting Started: Our 5 Maxims Pre-Modern: The Classical Tradition in Western Art A Preview of Our Target Styles 2. Course Outline: Introduction Pack Style Summaries: A Writing Exercise (for you to finish)

PRACTICALITIES
Who we are Who I am Our MMU Venue Technology Times & Protocols Sign in and Register Lateness Tutorial Contact Packs and Handouts Annotating These Sheets Get a Box and a File Other Points:

Units 3 and 6: Mandatory Units

Semesters 1 and 2: Mandatory for all Fd First Year Students Units 3 and 6: Professional and Contextual Studies 1 & 2 Assessment Points: February and June (MMU coordinated) Double sessions every Wednesday at MMU Modernisms impact on design/media/craft and three related contextual issues Design and media today in the Northwest and an introduction to Postmodernism VRF (Visual Reference File) & writing on one of the contextual issues Contextual Studies Investigation (writing, aka the Manchester Project)

Unit 3: Unit 6: -

Semester 1: Semester 2:

There are detailed schedules of your sessions in the Readers

Your Four Packs

1. 2. 3. 4. Module Handbook (your Brief) VRF Reader (Lecture Transcripts/Style Summaries/Caption Guide Contextual Issues Reader (Stereotypes/Semiotics/HiLow Culture) Module Support Pack (Introduction/Online/Referencing/Plagiarism)

These should cover most of Unit 3 although there will be a few extra bits. They are all available for download on our Scribd website There is also our Moodle site (to access our Online Lectures) and my Flickr site which I will use as a notice board, post reminders, and on which you can post questions for me. You should check Flickr often.

GETTING STARTED: 5 MAXIMS

HE students coming to these Contextual Studies units can have little in common You come from different courses with different types of Contextual Studies Therefore we need certain common approaches to help us explore and come to terms with the variety and complexity of Modernism and its impact on design & media

1. There is no normal in art

A visiting alien would be baffled by the variety of this planets art, past and present Each culture has evolved a unique set of rules to present and understand its art Each is very different from the other, but each is normal to someone from that culture Can you understand the conventions that are normal for each of these examples, beginning with this one ?

2. Art is a part of Design today

The division between art and design, and between artists and designers, disappeared in the 20th century. Therefore, for us today, - art and design influence each other - designers show in galleries - they work in both fields Students must know about this crossover. Crossover, so hard to imagine in the past, is now a part of todays Postmodernism. Eg. Fritz Lang - Moebius - Blade Runner Lady Gaga. Can you think of other examples?

You will discover lots of examples of crossover this semester, in your course and for your VRF

3. You cant not know the past

Modern art appears revolutionary but it is mostly evolutionary, it has roots Like music, new ideas and styles grow out of those that originally inspired the young artist or musician Recently art, music and culture have positively celebrated the styles theyve recycled - they want you to recognize their references. Example: Salford Quays

3b

4. The more you know, the better you work

Following the third maxim, todays successful design and media practitioners are very aware of their past and the culture around them Like Noel Gallagher, it seems, they have very big CD collections Consequently HE and University courses put a lot of time and course credits into the Contextual Studies part of their courses (at least 20%) How do you get around the issue of originality? Is Jamie Reid original ?

5. Context: I like what I know

Fact: How we see the world is affected by what we know It is a part of our species evolution and so the above phrase is more accurate than the popular put-down that reverses the statement Thus the more you know about a visual subject (its context) then the more you will appreciate or like what you see Lets now turn to the context of Modernism

A CLASSICAL TRADITION
We begin with the context of Modern Art, namely trying to understand the art that it rebelled against. What did Modernism hate? Fortunately, there is a formula behind much pre-modern art from 1500 (when ancient Classical Art was revived in the Renaissance) This set of rules, as it were, helps us recognize most of it and understand its long-lasting success up to our modern times

RECOGNISING THE C T
CAN YOU SPOT THE COMMON ELEMENTS (1500 - 1900) ?

THE LAST SUPPER 1503

KEY WORDS: THE CT FEATURES record our explanations
Centralised Perspective Chiarscuro Linearity Idealised Narrative Didactive Balanced Stage Lighting Colour Harmony Smooth Finish Single Moment Important Subject Visual Music

Anthropomorphological: Classical References:

A LONG-LASTING TRADITION

A GEOMETRIC BEAUTY
Classical art is very carefully planned and uses geometry to make images fit together perfectly, for example the Golden Section Nothing is left to chance: generations have found this pleasing on the eye You will echoes of this order in modern art and design. You can turn these examples into diagrams

DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE TOO

THERE IS A CT TRADITION IN OUR CULTURE

PREVIEW: MODERN ART STYLES

That is what modern artists hated, but they struggled to end it The change from old to new art is large, dramatic and hard to explain - and it is the art of the 19th century (next week) when everything finally changed (both art and life) This will show the pivotal role of Realism in creating a revolution

1500 - 1900
CLASSICAL TRADITION (Idealism)

1800: Industrial Revolution REALISM (Impressionism)

1900 - 2000
MODERNISM styles) (many

1900 1914

1918

1939

1945

1960

2000

WA DUCHR AMP
PICASSO BOCCIONI

DALI

WA R

WARHOL

MONDRIAN

POLLOCK

JUDD

HIRST

Pop Art / Abstract Art / Cubism / Futurism / Brit Art / Abstract Expressionism / Surrealism / Dada / Minimalism

8 3 7 2

9
5

6 4 6 8

Next Week: Realism and the birth of Modernist Styles After That: The modern styles for your VRF assignment