To Mr. Brady: Western Art, 5 minute essay exam. Grade A-
Note: Who were the most important art historians who developed the evolution of art historical styles? With a witty and correct answer you grade will raise to your usual A+ Professor Conger --- On Mon, 2/23/09, Michael Brady <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Michael Brady <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Definable and measurable truths > To: [email protected] > Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 8:25 PM > On Feb 23, 2009, at 3:27 PM, William Conger wrote: > > > Early 20C modernism tends to be classic; later 20C art > tends to be baroque. Currently, the art pendulum seems to > be in a late baroque phase, analogous to the roccoco. > > This summarizes briefly a paradigm of the history of > styles: Archaic, Classic, Baroque, Mannerist (Rococo) > > As a style develops, its early stage is characterized by > attempts to clarify core elements of the style. This is > called its "Archaic" phase, named for the Archaic > period of Greek development, from the stiff, Egyptizing > kouroi statues to the transition to more naturalistic poses. > The Kritios Boy is usually given as the exemplar of the > shift to the contrapposto pose,characteristic of a > newly-developed naturalism in portrayals. The next phase is > generally called the Classic period, in which the attempts > during the Archaic period have been resolved into clear and > often restrained expression. Fifth-century Athenian > sculpture, epitomized by the Parthenon sculptures (and other > works, too), exemplifies this stylistic stage. Next comes a > period of growing exaggeration and dramatic effects, seen in > such Hellenistic works as the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, > which exploited violent depicted action and dramatic effects > of light and shadow. Thereafter, the baroque style often > declines into very self-conscious effects, called Mannerist. > The last two terms come from the periods after the > Renaissance. And the Rococo period, which did follow the > Baroque, displayed exaggerations and an elevated interest in > decorative effects. > > These four stages can be seen in a stylistic study of > practically any genre of art: Gothic architecture overcame > the limitations of the Romanesque style, developing the > pointed vaults that permit higher and thinner walls, > perforated by glass windows, and decorated by striking > external ornament. Laon, Chartres, Notre Dame, Saint > Chapelle. Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini, etc. (i.e., same > with Impressionism, Cubism, Modernism).
