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Welcome to a journey through the history of art. We will travel along a timeline from the caves to the 19th century. My name is Dr. Jean Ouellette. Let's begin by making the familiar unfamiliar. Standing on an open and windy plain in southwest England. When we move forward in time over 10,000 years, from the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period, society becomes more settled and more specialized. In Great Britain, on Salisbury Plain, there is evidence of a stabilized and local population that created a monumental built environment, a site called Stonehenge, a stone circle. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
Let's begin by making the familiar unfamiliar. Standing on an open and windy plain in southwest England. When we move forward in time over 10,000 years, from the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period, society becomes more settled and more specialized. In Great Britain, on Salisbury Plain, there is evidence of a stabilized and local population that created a monumental built environment, a site called Stonehenge, a stone circle. These ancient Britons had no written language, but left us a complex culture that must have divided itself between agriculture and hunting and probably allowed leaders to emerge, resulting in a stratified society. There is burial evidence that males in their physical prime had high status. That said, we do not know what, if any role, the alpha males might have had in the planning and construction of Stonehenge. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
In Great Britain, on Salisbury Plain, there is evidence of a stabilized and local population that created a monumental built environment, a site called Stonehenge, a stone circle. These ancient Britons had no written language, but left us a complex culture that must have divided itself between agriculture and hunting and probably allowed leaders to emerge, resulting in a stratified society. There is burial evidence that males in their physical prime had high status. That said, we do not know what, if any role, the alpha males might have had in the planning and construction of Stonehenge. If Stonehenge and the cave paintings have anything in common, it is that both bear the marks of the tremendous effort people feel compelled to expend upon the creation of culture. In terms of survival, culture would seem to be an excess, a surplus, a time-consuming elaboration, but humans were compelled to plunge deep into dark caves and bring light to the blank walls and to make the stone come to life with images. Stonehenge was also a project carried on over hundreds of years, evolving from timber circles to stone circles, indicating that the creators had a desire for immortality, that the builders wanted to preserve and protect and pass on their way of life from one generation to another. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
That said, we do not know what, if any role, the alpha males might have had in the planning and construction of Stonehenge. If Stonehenge and the cave paintings have anything in common, it is that both bear the marks of the tremendous effort people feel compelled to expend upon the creation of culture. In terms of survival, culture would seem to be an excess, a surplus, a time-consuming elaboration, but humans were compelled to plunge deep into dark caves and bring light to the blank walls and to make the stone come to life with images. Stonehenge was also a project carried on over hundreds of years, evolving from timber circles to stone circles, indicating that the creators had a desire for immortality, that the builders wanted to preserve and protect and pass on their way of life from one generation to another. Stonehenge was a quest for permanence. Although the 40-ton sarsens were carved out from local quarries, the blue stones were transported somehow from Wales, hundreds of miles to the north and west. These gigantic posts were dressed on the spot by skilled carvers striking stone to stone. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
Stonehenge was also a project carried on over hundreds of years, evolving from timber circles to stone circles, indicating that the creators had a desire for immortality, that the builders wanted to preserve and protect and pass on their way of life from one generation to another. Stonehenge was a quest for permanence. Although the 40-ton sarsens were carved out from local quarries, the blue stones were transported somehow from Wales, hundreds of miles to the north and west. These gigantic posts were dressed on the spot by skilled carvers striking stone to stone. They shaped the tops of the posts with a knob called a tenon in carpentry terms. The lintels or cross beams were lifted somehow and fitted on the top of the post with a mortise or a space hollowed out on the underside. Somewhere between sculpture and architecture, Stonehenge is, if nothing else, a great feat of social organization and planning and of engineering. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
These gigantic posts were dressed on the spot by skilled carvers striking stone to stone. They shaped the tops of the posts with a knob called a tenon in carpentry terms. The lintels or cross beams were lifted somehow and fitted on the top of the post with a mortise or a space hollowed out on the underside. Somewhere between sculpture and architecture, Stonehenge is, if nothing else, a great feat of social organization and planning and of engineering. For centuries, the entire culture was actively engaged in the completion of Stonehenge, indicating a belief system that exerted its power upon the community for as long as the Roman Empire existed. But what was the purpose of Stonehenge? What did it do? | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
Somewhere between sculpture and architecture, Stonehenge is, if nothing else, a great feat of social organization and planning and of engineering. For centuries, the entire culture was actively engaged in the completion of Stonehenge, indicating a belief system that exerted its power upon the community for as long as the Roman Empire existed. But what was the purpose of Stonehenge? What did it do? How did it function? What did it mean? Legend has it that inside the circle of Stonehenge, there was a great and strange silence. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
What did it do? How did it function? What did it mean? Legend has it that inside the circle of Stonehenge, there was a great and strange silence. True or not, this silence is a metaphor for what we do not know, and we fill this void with theories. Stonehenge is a calendar, an instrument for reading the stars, the moon, the sun, the seasons. Stonehenge is a calculator, a gathering place for the druids, a place of sacrifice. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
Legend has it that inside the circle of Stonehenge, there was a great and strange silence. True or not, this silence is a metaphor for what we do not know, and we fill this void with theories. Stonehenge is a calendar, an instrument for reading the stars, the moon, the sun, the seasons. Stonehenge is a calculator, a gathering place for the druids, a place of sacrifice. What we do know is far more profound. The Stonehenge knitted generations together into a coherent and cooperative society. It is here that the social contract originated through cultural acts by cultural actors, men, women, and children. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
Stonehenge is a calculator, a gathering place for the druids, a place of sacrifice. What we do know is far more profound. The Stonehenge knitted generations together into a coherent and cooperative society. It is here that the social contract originated through cultural acts by cultural actors, men, women, and children. People were needed to transform a space into a place. This is what humans do. We make marks on the environment, leave parts of our lives behind. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
It is here that the social contract originated through cultural acts by cultural actors, men, women, and children. People were needed to transform a space into a place. This is what humans do. We make marks on the environment, leave parts of our lives behind. But the ancient Britons were behind their European counterparts. The builders of Stonehenge were stranded in the Stone Age, but there were other civilizations using metal, and one of them was the land of the Bible. Next stop, the Garden of Eden. | Stonehenge Art History Otis College of Art and Design.mp3 |
The Metropolitan Museum of Art calls this a standing male worshiper. He was buried along with 11 other figures for a total of 12, most of them male. And we're looking at one of the smaller figures. They range from just under a foot to almost three feet. The temple where these were buried was in a city called Eshnunna in the northern part of ancient Mesopotamia. What is now called Tel Esmar. The figures from Tel Esmar are widely considered to be the great expression of early dynastic Sumerian art. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
They range from just under a foot to almost three feet. The temple where these were buried was in a city called Eshnunna in the northern part of ancient Mesopotamia. What is now called Tel Esmar. The figures from Tel Esmar are widely considered to be the great expression of early dynastic Sumerian art. And we think that the temple was dedicated to the god Abu. At this time, in the third millennium BCE, this area around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, some of the earliest cities in the world emerged, and writing emerged. This is a watershed in human history. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
The figures from Tel Esmar are widely considered to be the great expression of early dynastic Sumerian art. And we think that the temple was dedicated to the god Abu. At this time, in the third millennium BCE, this area around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, some of the earliest cities in the world emerged, and writing emerged. This is a watershed in human history. The cities had administrative buildings, temples, palaces, many of which have been unearthed by archaeologists. This is the transitional period right after the Bronze Age, at the tail end of the Neolithic, when civilizations are founded in the great river valleys around the world. And he's adorable. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
This is a watershed in human history. The cities had administrative buildings, temples, palaces, many of which have been unearthed by archaeologists. This is the transitional period right after the Bronze Age, at the tail end of the Neolithic, when civilizations are founded in the great river valleys around the world. And he's adorable. He is adorable. His wide eyes and his sense of attentiveness are very appealing, I think. But of course, he wasn't meant to be looking at us. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
And he's adorable. He is adorable. His wide eyes and his sense of attentiveness are very appealing, I think. But of course, he wasn't meant to be looking at us. He was meant to be attentive to a statue, a sculpture, of a god, who was believed to be embodied in the sculpture. In fact, we believe that the person for whom this was a kind of stand-in was also embodied in this figurine. So an elite member of ancient Sumerian culture paid to have this sculpture made and placed before the god to be a kind of stand-in, to perhaps continually offer prayers, to be continually attentive to the god. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
But of course, he wasn't meant to be looking at us. He was meant to be attentive to a statue, a sculpture, of a god, who was believed to be embodied in the sculpture. In fact, we believe that the person for whom this was a kind of stand-in was also embodied in this figurine. So an elite member of ancient Sumerian culture paid to have this sculpture made and placed before the god to be a kind of stand-in, to perhaps continually offer prayers, to be continually attentive to the god. His hands are clasped together. He stands erect. His shoulders are broad, so there's a sense of frontality. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
So an elite member of ancient Sumerian culture paid to have this sculpture made and placed before the god to be a kind of stand-in, to perhaps continually offer prayers, to be continually attentive to the god. His hands are clasped together. He stands erect. His shoulders are broad, so there's a sense of frontality. Even though he's carved on both sides, he was meant to be seen from the front, although that term meant to be seen is a funny one. Well, he was meant to be seen by a god. Right. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
His shoulders are broad, so there's a sense of frontality. Even though he's carved on both sides, he was meant to be seen from the front, although that term meant to be seen is a funny one. Well, he was meant to be seen by a god. Right. You can see that the hair is parted at the center of the scalp and comes down in wavelets or perhaps braids that spiral down and then frame the central beard, which is quite formal, and cascades down in a series of regular waves. His hands are clasped just below the beard. His shoulders are really broad. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
Right. You can see that the hair is parted at the center of the scalp and comes down in wavelets or perhaps braids that spiral down and then frame the central beard, which is quite formal, and cascades down in a series of regular waves. His hands are clasped just below the beard. His shoulders are really broad. His upper arm's very broad. And then there's very fine incising at the bottom of his skirt. But it's odd to me how cylindrical the bottom part of his body is and how flattened out the torso is. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
His shoulders are really broad. His upper arm's very broad. And then there's very fine incising at the bottom of his skirt. But it's odd to me how cylindrical the bottom part of his body is and how flattened out the torso is. If you look at the face carefully, you can see that the very large eyes are, in fact, inlaid shell. And in the center, the pupils are black limestone. And you can also see that there's an incising of the eyebrows that might have originally been inlaid as well. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
But it's odd to me how cylindrical the bottom part of his body is and how flattened out the torso is. If you look at the face carefully, you can see that the very large eyes are, in fact, inlaid shell. And in the center, the pupils are black limestone. And you can also see that there's an incising of the eyebrows that might have originally been inlaid as well. This is really different from Egyptian culture, which emerges at the same time. In Egyptian culture, the sculptures primarily represent the pharaoh, the king, and indicate his divinity. But in the ancient Near East, instead, we have these votive images of worshippers, but not so much of the kings, at least during this early dynastic period. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
And you can also see that there's an incising of the eyebrows that might have originally been inlaid as well. This is really different from Egyptian culture, which emerges at the same time. In Egyptian culture, the sculptures primarily represent the pharaoh, the king, and indicate his divinity. But in the ancient Near East, instead, we have these votive images of worshippers, but not so much of the kings, at least during this early dynastic period. The figures at Tel Azmar that were unearthed are very similar. They're not meant to be portraits of a specific person, but a symbol of that person. But he does look very humble. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
But in the ancient Near East, instead, we have these votive images of worshippers, but not so much of the kings, at least during this early dynastic period. The figures at Tel Azmar that were unearthed are very similar. They're not meant to be portraits of a specific person, but a symbol of that person. But he does look very humble. His mouth is closed. His lips are sealed together. And of course, he is wonderfully attentive. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
But he does look very humble. His mouth is closed. His lips are sealed together. And of course, he is wonderfully attentive. And the fact that his hands are clasped, I think, makes him seem more humble as well. There are some interesting subtle choices that whoever carved this made. Look at the way that the skirt extends out and attaches itself to the forearms, a bit wider than we would expect. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
And of course, he is wonderfully attentive. And the fact that his hands are clasped, I think, makes him seem more humble as well. There are some interesting subtle choices that whoever carved this made. Look at the way that the skirt extends out and attaches itself to the forearms, a bit wider than we would expect. And the torso, it's just this almost V-shape. There is a sense of geometric patterning here, and not the naturalistic forms of the body. If you look at the back of the figure, you can see that there's a little cleft that's been carved in horizontally. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
Look at the way that the skirt extends out and attaches itself to the forearms, a bit wider than we would expect. And the torso, it's just this almost V-shape. There is a sense of geometric patterning here, and not the naturalistic forms of the body. If you look at the back of the figure, you can see that there's a little cleft that's been carved in horizontally. And there's also what seems to be the indication, perhaps, of a tied belt that hangs down. You understand, I think, the artist's decision not to make a naturalistic figure, because a naturalistic figure before the god might give a sense of someone just visiting, just passing through. But this idea of a static, symmetrical, frontal, wide-eyed figure gives a sense of timelessness, of a figure that is forever offering prayers to the god. | Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar.mp3 |
This is a body of water between New Guinea and Australia that has hundreds of islands, most of which are uninhabited. This is from a particular island called the Mabuyag Island. What we have here is a turtle shell mask divided into three registers. In the bottom we have a human face, above it the face and body of a bird, and above that feathers. Now it is only in the Torres Strait that we find masks made out of this very precious material of turtle shell. In this particular case we have a frigate bird depicted and we have a face that has raffia attached to it as though it were hair. In fact in other examples it really is human hair. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
In the bottom we have a human face, above it the face and body of a bird, and above that feathers. Now it is only in the Torres Strait that we find masks made out of this very precious material of turtle shell. In this particular case we have a frigate bird depicted and we have a face that has raffia attached to it as though it were hair. In fact in other examples it really is human hair. What I notice is that we have a lot of pieces that have been stitched together. The piece that forms the face, three decorative pieces that surround that, we have a piece underneath, another piece in the back, and then the bird itself is made up of many pieces of turtle shell. In addition to turtle shell we also have feathers and shell and raffia that add to the texture and the materiality of this piece. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
In fact in other examples it really is human hair. What I notice is that we have a lot of pieces that have been stitched together. The piece that forms the face, three decorative pieces that surround that, we have a piece underneath, another piece in the back, and then the bird itself is made up of many pieces of turtle shell. In addition to turtle shell we also have feathers and shell and raffia that add to the texture and the materiality of this piece. Of course this would have only been one part of an elaborate costume used in a masquerade. It would have been seen in motion in front of an audience when it was actually used. Right, music, those feathers on the top moving in the wind, and the raffia that we see for the hair also moving. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
In addition to turtle shell we also have feathers and shell and raffia that add to the texture and the materiality of this piece. Of course this would have only been one part of an elaborate costume used in a masquerade. It would have been seen in motion in front of an audience when it was actually used. Right, music, those feathers on the top moving in the wind, and the raffia that we see for the hair also moving. We're seeing it in a very static way which is very unnatural. It's likely the dancer was making the gestures of a bird. Who's represented here? | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
Right, music, those feathers on the top moving in the wind, and the raffia that we see for the hair also moving. We're seeing it in a very static way which is very unnatural. It's likely the dancer was making the gestures of a bird. Who's represented here? Art historians conjecture that perhaps this is the face of a hero, someone who lived in the past but who did supernatural deeds, who's being remembered here. It could also be an ancestor. It could be an older person because we have this lovely lattice work around the sides of the face and the bottom which suggests a beard. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
Who's represented here? Art historians conjecture that perhaps this is the face of a hero, someone who lived in the past but who did supernatural deeds, who's being remembered here. It could also be an ancestor. It could be an older person because we have this lovely lattice work around the sides of the face and the bottom which suggests a beard. Somebody important in your lineage who you would want to honor through this mask. Perhaps that person was associated with the frigate bird on the top of the mask or perhaps the frigate bird was associated in some way with the wearer of the mask. In that sense the bird could be seen as a totem, that is a mythological creature that connected to a particular lineage or a family. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
It could be an older person because we have this lovely lattice work around the sides of the face and the bottom which suggests a beard. Somebody important in your lineage who you would want to honor through this mask. Perhaps that person was associated with the frigate bird on the top of the mask or perhaps the frigate bird was associated in some way with the wearer of the mask. In that sense the bird could be seen as a totem, that is a mythological creature that connected to a particular lineage or a family. Maybe it was an animal that they didn't hunt. Maybe it was an animal that they regarded as unique and special. This mask likely connected the wearer, connected the culture to a supernatural, to something beyond the physical world. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
In that sense the bird could be seen as a totem, that is a mythological creature that connected to a particular lineage or a family. Maybe it was an animal that they didn't hunt. Maybe it was an animal that they regarded as unique and special. This mask likely connected the wearer, connected the culture to a supernatural, to something beyond the physical world. Because we have to ask ourselves why the artist created it. Why did they spend so much time carving this, putting it together? We know turtle shell was actively traded and that European sailors in particular were interested in collecting turtle shell in the early 1800s. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
This mask likely connected the wearer, connected the culture to a supernatural, to something beyond the physical world. Because we have to ask ourselves why the artist created it. Why did they spend so much time carving this, putting it together? We know turtle shell was actively traded and that European sailors in particular were interested in collecting turtle shell in the early 1800s. We know that by the late 1800s the presence of missionaries had made this practice almost obsolete. In fact they asked the Torres Strait Islanders to burn their masks to destroy them. The only examples that we have today are in collections that anthropologists, ethnographers, sailors, missionaries, folks that were outsiders in the Torres Straits might have collected. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
We know turtle shell was actively traded and that European sailors in particular were interested in collecting turtle shell in the early 1800s. We know that by the late 1800s the presence of missionaries had made this practice almost obsolete. In fact they asked the Torres Strait Islanders to burn their masks to destroy them. The only examples that we have today are in collections that anthropologists, ethnographers, sailors, missionaries, folks that were outsiders in the Torres Straits might have collected. In the end we're not sure whether this dates to the late 19th century after this area had been Christianized. So we're not sure if this is an object that was made for the people themselves or was made to be exported for tourists and collectors. Because there are accounts of turtle shell masks in the Torres Straits, we assume that these were fairly important. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
The only examples that we have today are in collections that anthropologists, ethnographers, sailors, missionaries, folks that were outsiders in the Torres Straits might have collected. In the end we're not sure whether this dates to the late 19th century after this area had been Christianized. So we're not sure if this is an object that was made for the people themselves or was made to be exported for tourists and collectors. Because there are accounts of turtle shell masks in the Torres Straits, we assume that these were fairly important. They have a long history, a long tradition. We know from another account in the 1930s that they were kept in special houses of stone. That suggests that they were items that had prestige and I would love to know more about those circular pieces on the wings. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
Because there are accounts of turtle shell masks in the Torres Straits, we assume that these were fairly important. They have a long history, a long tradition. We know from another account in the 1930s that they were kept in special houses of stone. That suggests that they were items that had prestige and I would love to know more about those circular pieces on the wings. They almost look like propellers. The whole sculpture, this whole mask, gives me a feeling of flight and of upward movement. And while we may not be completely satisfied with understanding the cultural context of this piece, we can actually really appreciate it formally in this space. | Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island.mp3 |
It was a challenge to the ancient Egyptians and still remains a mystery to modern archaeologists. Egyptologist Mark Lehner has spent 30 years studying the pyramids hands-on. My approach to the question was, where are the quarries? What kind of a ramp can you get from the quarry to the pyramid in a functional slope? Lehner and almost all Egyptologists believe that some kind of ramp was used to raise the stone blocks. The type of ramp remains a mystery. Did they approach the pyramid straight on, zigzag up one side, or spiral around it? | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
What kind of a ramp can you get from the quarry to the pyramid in a functional slope? Lehner and almost all Egyptologists believe that some kind of ramp was used to raise the stone blocks. The type of ramp remains a mystery. Did they approach the pyramid straight on, zigzag up one side, or spiral around it? It's not a problem that's been totally solved. I've given my suggestions, I've tried to base them in the landscape, but a lot of it is still inference. Because the ramps were dismantled once the pyramid was complete, only fragments of evidence are available to archaeologists. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
Did they approach the pyramid straight on, zigzag up one side, or spiral around it? It's not a problem that's been totally solved. I've given my suggestions, I've tried to base them in the landscape, but a lot of it is still inference. Because the ramps were dismantled once the pyramid was complete, only fragments of evidence are available to archaeologists. But it was ramps and sheer muscle power that allowed millions of blocks to reach the summit. Once in position, the builders faced a new task. The blocks had to be fitted together. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
Because the ramps were dismantled once the pyramid was complete, only fragments of evidence are available to archaeologists. But it was ramps and sheer muscle power that allowed millions of blocks to reach the summit. Once in position, the builders faced a new task. The blocks had to be fitted together. Surprisingly, in such a precise build, a large proportion of the internal stones were just roughly finished. The gaps between them were filled with rubble and gypsum mortar. In between the blocks were stuffed lots of limestone chippings mixed with a huge dollops of mortar, and it's set just like modern concrete. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
The blocks had to be fitted together. Surprisingly, in such a precise build, a large proportion of the internal stones were just roughly finished. The gaps between them were filled with rubble and gypsum mortar. In between the blocks were stuffed lots of limestone chippings mixed with a huge dollops of mortar, and it's set just like modern concrete. But every stone that would be visible when the build was completed was placed with amazing precision. In the Great Pyramid, the blocks of the burial chamber fit precisely. The sides of these blocks had to be almost perfectly flat to make these astonishing joins. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
In between the blocks were stuffed lots of limestone chippings mixed with a huge dollops of mortar, and it's set just like modern concrete. But every stone that would be visible when the build was completed was placed with amazing precision. In the Great Pyramid, the blocks of the burial chamber fit precisely. The sides of these blocks had to be almost perfectly flat to make these astonishing joins. This precision engineering was achieved using the most rudimentary of tools. Yes, we'll use this rods and string tool in order to find out whether the surface is truly flat. And by using a third rod, which is the same length as the other two rods joined by the string, which is now pulled very taut, we can see if it just slips under. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
The sides of these blocks had to be almost perfectly flat to make these astonishing joins. This precision engineering was achieved using the most rudimentary of tools. Yes, we'll use this rods and string tool in order to find out whether the surface is truly flat. And by using a third rod, which is the same length as the other two rods joined by the string, which is now pulled very taut, we can see if it just slips under. Now we've got a bit of a high spot there. Now, in ancient times, they would mark that simply by putting some red ochre on just to remind the workers where to go to and check along the length of the string. The ancient mason would use the rods and string to spot imperfections and then mark them with red ochre to show where more work was needed. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
And by using a third rod, which is the same length as the other two rods joined by the string, which is now pulled very taut, we can see if it just slips under. Now we've got a bit of a high spot there. Now, in ancient times, they would mark that simply by putting some red ochre on just to remind the workers where to go to and check along the length of the string. The ancient mason would use the rods and string to spot imperfections and then mark them with red ochre to show where more work was needed. By using two further tools, this one being a flint scraper and this one being a sandstone rubber, now we can use the marks as a guide to scrape away the high point like so. And it's obvious that as you scrape, the mark disappears and with it, of course, the high spot. This same technique was also used in the final stage of construction. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
The ancient mason would use the rods and string to spot imperfections and then mark them with red ochre to show where more work was needed. By using two further tools, this one being a flint scraper and this one being a sandstone rubber, now we can use the marks as a guide to scrape away the high point like so. And it's obvious that as you scrape, the mark disappears and with it, of course, the high spot. This same technique was also used in the final stage of construction. The rough internal blocks were covered with an outer casing of perfectly smooth stone. This was carved from the highest grade limestone and had to be carried across the Nile to the pyramid site. With this polished casing, the pyramid would have shown dazzling white in the Egyptian sun. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
This same technique was also used in the final stage of construction. The rough internal blocks were covered with an outer casing of perfectly smooth stone. This was carved from the highest grade limestone and had to be carried across the Nile to the pyramid site. With this polished casing, the pyramid would have shown dazzling white in the Egyptian sun. When the pyramids were newly encased in this special limestone, they must have been blinding in the sun like newly fallen snow. To achieve this, every casing stone was cut to sit perfectly with its neighbors. When complete, the Great Pyramid of Giza was covered with thousands of these facing stones. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
With this polished casing, the pyramid would have shown dazzling white in the Egyptian sun. When the pyramids were newly encased in this special limestone, they must have been blinding in the sun like newly fallen snow. To achieve this, every casing stone was cut to sit perfectly with its neighbors. When complete, the Great Pyramid of Giza was covered with thousands of these facing stones. Sadly, they have long vanished, taken to build the mosques and castles of Cairo. But facing stones can still be seen on the cap of Kafra's pyramid. Even with all the Egyptian skills and tools, building the pyramids was still an incredibly hard task, requiring millions of man hours to complete. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
When complete, the Great Pyramid of Giza was covered with thousands of these facing stones. Sadly, they have long vanished, taken to build the mosques and castles of Cairo. But facing stones can still be seen on the cap of Kafra's pyramid. Even with all the Egyptian skills and tools, building the pyramids was still an incredibly hard task, requiring millions of man hours to complete. Legend has long suggested that the pyramids were built by armies of slaves. The legends are wrong. Forensic archaeological discoveries are now putting a face on the people who really built the pyramids. | Egyptology - Pyramid Construction.mp3 |
There are three paintings. The painting on the left shows the calling of Saint Matthew. Saint Matthew would become one of the apostles of Christ, but this is the moment just before, the moment of transition that is his spiritual awakening. And this idea of capturing the moment of spiritual awakening, a moment of conversion, was something that interested Baroque artists like Caravaggio. Here's the passage from the Gospel of Matthew that Caravaggio has painted. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. Follow me, he told him. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
And this idea of capturing the moment of spiritual awakening, a moment of conversion, was something that interested Baroque artists like Caravaggio. Here's the passage from the Gospel of Matthew that Caravaggio has painted. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. Follow me, he told him. And Matthew got up and followed him. Such a simple passage, but so profound. Caravaggio has given us something that is distinctly earthbound, that emits only the barest hint of the spiritual in the hairline halo above Christ's head. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
Follow me, he told him. And Matthew got up and followed him. Such a simple passage, but so profound. Caravaggio has given us something that is distinctly earthbound, that emits only the barest hint of the spiritual in the hairline halo above Christ's head. And it's a very interesting composition because Christ, the main figure here, and Matthew too, are both a little bit lost. Christ stands behind Saint Peter, and his body is covered by Saint Peter, except for his head and his right arm, which reaches out to point to Matthew. And then Matthew is a little bit lost among this group of five colleagues. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
Caravaggio has given us something that is distinctly earthbound, that emits only the barest hint of the spiritual in the hairline halo above Christ's head. And it's a very interesting composition because Christ, the main figure here, and Matthew too, are both a little bit lost. Christ stands behind Saint Peter, and his body is covered by Saint Peter, except for his head and his right arm, which reaches out to point to Matthew. And then Matthew is a little bit lost among this group of five colleagues. Matthew is a tax collector, and they're here looking at the money that they've collected. Both figures are identified by light and by gesture. The light streams in from an unseen source just above Christ's head and moves from the upper right at a diagonal down to Matthew. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
And then Matthew is a little bit lost among this group of five colleagues. Matthew is a tax collector, and they're here looking at the money that they've collected. Both figures are identified by light and by gesture. The light streams in from an unseen source just above Christ's head and moves from the upper right at a diagonal down to Matthew. Christ almost languidly extends his hand, but Matthew responds by pointing to himself with vigor as if he's saying, you've got the wrong guy. Why would you call me? I'm a tax collector. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
The light streams in from an unseen source just above Christ's head and moves from the upper right at a diagonal down to Matthew. Christ almost languidly extends his hand, but Matthew responds by pointing to himself with vigor as if he's saying, you've got the wrong guy. Why would you call me? I'm a tax collector. Here I am counting my money. I'm in a tavern. Caravaggio dressed the figures in contemporary clothing. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
I'm a tax collector. Here I am counting my money. I'm in a tavern. Caravaggio dressed the figures in contemporary clothing. There's very little about this that looks like a spiritual moment. The art of the high Renaissance creates a sense of the divine by making figures ideally beautiful. But Caravaggio's figures are, as you said, earthbound. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
Caravaggio dressed the figures in contemporary clothing. There's very little about this that looks like a spiritual moment. The art of the high Renaissance creates a sense of the divine by making figures ideally beautiful. But Caravaggio's figures are, as you said, earthbound. They look like common people that Caravaggio might have seen on the streets of Rome. This is set in a tavern, in a bar, in a lowly place. What's wonderful to me is the way that Matthew is in transition. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
But Caravaggio's figures are, as you said, earthbound. They look like common people that Caravaggio might have seen on the streets of Rome. This is set in a tavern, in a bar, in a lowly place. What's wonderful to me is the way that Matthew is in transition. He's pointing to himself as though saying, it's me that you want. How could that be? In total disbelief. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
What's wonderful to me is the way that Matthew is in transition. He's pointing to himself as though saying, it's me that you want. How could that be? In total disbelief. But his right hand is still reaching out to the money that he's collected. So he's divided in that way. And there's a sense of a real caught moment. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
In total disbelief. But his right hand is still reaching out to the money that he's collected. So he's divided in that way. And there's a sense of a real caught moment. The figure on the upper left is examining the coins. The figure close to us on the left is counting them with his right hand. The figure on the right corner of the table leans and looks out at something outside the space of the painting. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
And there's a sense of a real caught moment. The figure on the upper left is examining the coins. The figure close to us on the left is counting them with his right hand. The figure on the right corner of the table leans and looks out at something outside the space of the painting. The figure right next to Matthew has his arm on his shoulder. And yet, this profound moment of spiritual transformation. The characteristic that Caravaggio is most known for is his intense naturalism. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
The figure on the right corner of the table leans and looks out at something outside the space of the painting. The figure right next to Matthew has his arm on his shoulder. And yet, this profound moment of spiritual transformation. The characteristic that Caravaggio is most known for is his intense naturalism. And he creates the sharp contrast between light and shadow, creating a vividness and a sense that the bodies have weight and mass that is astonishingly naturalistic. These figures are so close to us, we feel as though we could reach out to touch them. In fact, there's a space at the table that almost looks like it's waiting for us. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
The characteristic that Caravaggio is most known for is his intense naturalism. And he creates the sharp contrast between light and shadow, creating a vividness and a sense that the bodies have weight and mass that is astonishingly naturalistic. These figures are so close to us, we feel as though we could reach out to touch them. In fact, there's a space at the table that almost looks like it's waiting for us. This is a painting, like so much of Baroque art, that breaks down the distance, the separation between the world of the painting and our own world. Look at the way that Christ reaches forward to Matthew. It is mimicking the way that God reaches out to Adam in the creation of Adam by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
In fact, there's a space at the table that almost looks like it's waiting for us. This is a painting, like so much of Baroque art, that breaks down the distance, the separation between the world of the painting and our own world. Look at the way that Christ reaches forward to Matthew. It is mimicking the way that God reaches out to Adam in the creation of Adam by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But the hand is actually derived from Adam's hand. And this is based on the idea that Christ is the second Adam. That Christ brings us salvation, where Adam caused the fall into sin. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
It is mimicking the way that God reaches out to Adam in the creation of Adam by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But the hand is actually derived from Adam's hand. And this is based on the idea that Christ is the second Adam. That Christ brings us salvation, where Adam caused the fall into sin. But I'm really interested in this pointing, because we have Christ pointing. We have Peter pointing. Only slightly more assertively than Christ does. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
That Christ brings us salvation, where Adam caused the fall into sin. But I'm really interested in this pointing, because we have Christ pointing. We have Peter pointing. Only slightly more assertively than Christ does. And in a way, Peter does stand between Christ and man. He is the founder of the church. And then this more forceful pointing that Matthew does. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
Only slightly more assertively than Christ does. And in a way, Peter does stand between Christ and man. He is the founder of the church. And then this more forceful pointing that Matthew does. And there's also the issue of attention. Matthew is looking at Christ and Peter. But the figures at the left side don't even seem to notice those spiritual figures. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
And then this more forceful pointing that Matthew does. And there's also the issue of attention. Matthew is looking at Christ and Peter. But the figures at the left side don't even seem to notice those spiritual figures. Their focus is on the earthly. So there is this wonderful contrast between those that are aware of the spiritual and those that are not. There's so much we could talk about in this painting. | A moment of spiritual awakening Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew.mp3 |
Moving on from where we left off last time with realism, I had this slide on the previous lecture as well, but I just wanted to remind you of some of the context of this time. Remember that starting around this point in time, we're seeing a lot of avant-garde artists. They are really fed up with these stuffy and crowded salon spaces. They are also disappointed with a lot of the requirements that the salon has. They're very stiff and stringent about their requirements for artworks. A lot of artists are like, I don't want to paint like that. A lot of them then move to gallery spaces instead where the paintings have a little bit more room to breathe and the artists have a little bit more freedom in terms of what they can paint and in which styles that they are painting. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
They are also disappointed with a lot of the requirements that the salon has. They're very stiff and stringent about their requirements for artworks. A lot of artists are like, I don't want to paint like that. A lot of them then move to gallery spaces instead where the paintings have a little bit more room to breathe and the artists have a little bit more freedom in terms of what they can paint and in which styles that they are painting. We started seeing this artistic rebelliousness, this avant-garde movement of artists with a realism movement where we saw artists that were painting non-conventional subjects and then they were starting to also broach on more non-conventional painting methods. Painting in a more loose manner and making things gritty and ugly and basically the way that they actually are. We're going to continue to see those kinds of things pushed even further as we delve into impressionism and post-impressionism. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
A lot of them then move to gallery spaces instead where the paintings have a little bit more room to breathe and the artists have a little bit more freedom in terms of what they can paint and in which styles that they are painting. We started seeing this artistic rebelliousness, this avant-garde movement of artists with a realism movement where we saw artists that were painting non-conventional subjects and then they were starting to also broach on more non-conventional painting methods. Painting in a more loose manner and making things gritty and ugly and basically the way that they actually are. We're going to continue to see those kinds of things pushed even further as we delve into impressionism and post-impressionism. We're going to start with impressionism because it's first. You're probably all familiar with the concept of impressionism to at least some extent. You probably did a project when you were in elementary school that involved oil pastels where you were creating these very short thin lines to make this colorful scene. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
We're going to continue to see those kinds of things pushed even further as we delve into impressionism and post-impressionism. We're going to start with impressionism because it's first. You're probably all familiar with the concept of impressionism to at least some extent. You probably did a project when you were in elementary school that involved oil pastels where you were creating these very short thin lines to make this colorful scene. I think a lot of students recreate Starry Night, that Van Gogh painting, which we will cover in post-impressionism. This movement is essentially about color and light. In a lot of cases, you are not going to be seeing a lot of hard outlines around figures and elements of paintings. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
You probably did a project when you were in elementary school that involved oil pastels where you were creating these very short thin lines to make this colorful scene. I think a lot of students recreate Starry Night, that Van Gogh painting, which we will cover in post-impressionism. This movement is essentially about color and light. In a lot of cases, you are not going to be seeing a lot of hard outlines around figures and elements of paintings. One of the exceptions to that is going to be works that are in the Japanismo style, which I'm going to discuss in a moment. Impressionism is one of these first avant-garde movements that is emerging out of the mid-19th century and really was a catalyst in this collection of movements that were deviating from classical norms, which involved lots of soft blending and these very soft transitions between colors and shades, so sumato. We're not really seeing as many idealized or hyper-sexualized figures. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
In a lot of cases, you are not going to be seeing a lot of hard outlines around figures and elements of paintings. One of the exceptions to that is going to be works that are in the Japanismo style, which I'm going to discuss in a moment. Impressionism is one of these first avant-garde movements that is emerging out of the mid-19th century and really was a catalyst in this collection of movements that were deviating from classical norms, which involved lots of soft blending and these very soft transitions between colors and shades, so sumato. We're not really seeing as many idealized or hyper-sexualized figures. We're not seeing super extreme detail. What's super cool about impressionist paintings is that from far away, they make a lot of sense and the image is very cohesive and it comes together into something that's recognizable to the human eye. But when you walk up to an impressionist painting, the details start to become a little bit more obscured. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
We're not really seeing as many idealized or hyper-sexualized figures. We're not seeing super extreme detail. What's super cool about impressionist paintings is that from far away, they make a lot of sense and the image is very cohesive and it comes together into something that's recognizable to the human eye. But when you walk up to an impressionist painting, the details start to become a little bit more obscured. We'll also be seeing this with some regularity with post-impressionism as well. But impressionism, think of it like a color printer where you have this layering of colors on top of one another and when you zoom in very close, it doesn't really make sense. But when you step back and you get a sense of the whole big picture, then it all comes together and it makes sense. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
But when you walk up to an impressionist painting, the details start to become a little bit more obscured. We'll also be seeing this with some regularity with post-impressionism as well. But impressionism, think of it like a color printer where you have this layering of colors on top of one another and when you zoom in very close, it doesn't really make sense. But when you step back and you get a sense of the whole big picture, then it all comes together and it makes sense. So what you'll also notice about impressionism is that there's a focus on time. There are specific moments within the day that are being captured, particularly by plein art artists like Claude Monet. They'll oftentimes paint the same subject multiple times and at different times of the day. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
But when you step back and you get a sense of the whole big picture, then it all comes together and it makes sense. So what you'll also notice about impressionism is that there's a focus on time. There are specific moments within the day that are being captured, particularly by plein art artists like Claude Monet. They'll oftentimes paint the same subject multiple times and at different times of the day. This was a fairly common practice for these artists who were working outside of the studio. You can imagine that the light is only going to be looking like this for maybe 45 minutes in a given day. So it really stands to reason that you would bring lots of canvases with you and you would work on the canvas that corresponds to the point in time of the day where the light is matching this exact view. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
They'll oftentimes paint the same subject multiple times and at different times of the day. This was a fairly common practice for these artists who were working outside of the studio. You can imagine that the light is only going to be looking like this for maybe 45 minutes in a given day. So it really stands to reason that you would bring lots of canvases with you and you would work on the canvas that corresponds to the point in time of the day where the light is matching this exact view. So oftentimes, like with the haystacks, for example, there are several haystack paintings by Claude Monet and they're scattered all over the world. I believe there's actually one in the Getty nearby in LA. So it's about capturing an experience, this ephemeral particular moment in time, rather than a scientific, objectively, quote unquote, accurate image or something that's intended to represent a composite of a place. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So it really stands to reason that you would bring lots of canvases with you and you would work on the canvas that corresponds to the point in time of the day where the light is matching this exact view. So oftentimes, like with the haystacks, for example, there are several haystack paintings by Claude Monet and they're scattered all over the world. I believe there's actually one in the Getty nearby in LA. So it's about capturing an experience, this ephemeral particular moment in time, rather than a scientific, objectively, quote unquote, accurate image or something that's intended to represent a composite of a place. There is an element of capturing this reality of the scene, but at the same time, there's almost a surreality to it where there's this very ephemeral and temporary aspect. So there's almost a little bit of the need to speak injected into these paintings. We'll also notice too, is that these paintings are very spontaneous and free. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So it's about capturing an experience, this ephemeral particular moment in time, rather than a scientific, objectively, quote unquote, accurate image or something that's intended to represent a composite of a place. There is an element of capturing this reality of the scene, but at the same time, there's almost a surreality to it where there's this very ephemeral and temporary aspect. So there's almost a little bit of the need to speak injected into these paintings. We'll also notice too, is that these paintings are very spontaneous and free. You can see the individual brushstrokes that are being used to compose this image, especially when you get up close to these paintings, you can see the individual strokes and sometimes you can even see the bristles of the brush in there. Also plein air painting is becoming a lot more common because painting is becoming easier. So one of the ways that painting is made easier and a little bit less cumbersome is that paint is finally coming in tubes. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
We'll also notice too, is that these paintings are very spontaneous and free. You can see the individual brushstrokes that are being used to compose this image, especially when you get up close to these paintings, you can see the individual strokes and sometimes you can even see the bristles of the brush in there. Also plein air painting is becoming a lot more common because painting is becoming easier. So one of the ways that painting is made easier and a little bit less cumbersome is that paint is finally coming in tubes. So before this point in time, artists would usually actually have to make the paint themselves. They would buy pigments and a binding agent, and then they would actually grind the pigment and mix it in with a binding agent in their studio, or they would have an assistant do it. So now that paint is coming in tubes, it's a lot more portable. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So one of the ways that painting is made easier and a little bit less cumbersome is that paint is finally coming in tubes. So before this point in time, artists would usually actually have to make the paint themselves. They would buy pigments and a binding agent, and then they would actually grind the pigment and mix it in with a binding agent in their studio, or they would have an assistant do it. So now that paint is coming in tubes, it's a lot more portable. You're not dealing with all of this powdery substance. It's also in this closed system, so it's not drying out so easily. So artists are spending more and more time outside painting subjects from life rather than doing short studies in like watercolor and pencil outside and then compiling them into these major composite images in the studio. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So now that paint is coming in tubes, it's a lot more portable. You're not dealing with all of this powdery substance. It's also in this closed system, so it's not drying out so easily. So artists are spending more and more time outside painting subjects from life rather than doing short studies in like watercolor and pencil outside and then compiling them into these major composite images in the studio. Another thing that is happening towards the mid to later part of the 19th century is that Japan is opening up to the rest of the world for the first time in several hundred years. So this is 1868, the Meiji Restoration. You probably talked about it in world history. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So artists are spending more and more time outside painting subjects from life rather than doing short studies in like watercolor and pencil outside and then compiling them into these major composite images in the studio. Another thing that is happening towards the mid to later part of the 19th century is that Japan is opening up to the rest of the world for the first time in several hundred years. So this is 1868, the Meiji Restoration. You probably talked about it in world history. This is when a lot of artwork and like cultural elements of Japan are becoming visible to the Western world in particular. And one of the most common items that was coming out of Japan and disseminating into the West were woodblock prints. So woodblock prints, we're going to be covering them when we cover Japan in a couple of months, were these mass produced images that were very affordable. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
You probably talked about it in world history. This is when a lot of artwork and like cultural elements of Japan are becoming visible to the Western world in particular. And one of the most common items that was coming out of Japan and disseminating into the West were woodblock prints. So woodblock prints, we're going to be covering them when we cover Japan in a couple of months, were these mass produced images that were very affordable. It was said that you could actually buy a woodblock print in the streets of Edo, Japan for the same price as a bowl of ramen. So it's this very affordable, accessible form of art. And a lot of people in the West saw this and they were very much inspired by the accessibility of the art as well as the kind of ephemerality where you're having these simple subjects, something that is appealing to the masses and in a lot of cases, very provincial and oftentimes Arcadian in nature. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
So woodblock prints, we're going to be covering them when we cover Japan in a couple of months, were these mass produced images that were very affordable. It was said that you could actually buy a woodblock print in the streets of Edo, Japan for the same price as a bowl of ramen. So it's this very affordable, accessible form of art. And a lot of people in the West saw this and they were very much inspired by the accessibility of the art as well as the kind of ephemerality where you're having these simple subjects, something that is appealing to the masses and in a lot of cases, very provincial and oftentimes Arcadian in nature. You have these very simple scenes. You're not really having a focus on like members of the ruling class or the church. It's rather scenes from daily life or even nature. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
And a lot of people in the West saw this and they were very much inspired by the accessibility of the art as well as the kind of ephemerality where you're having these simple subjects, something that is appealing to the masses and in a lot of cases, very provincial and oftentimes Arcadian in nature. You have these very simple scenes. You're not really having a focus on like members of the ruling class or the church. It's rather scenes from daily life or even nature. A lot of artists in the West are seeing these woodblock prints and they're inspired by the medium of woodblock printing itself as well as the subjects. So lots of artists like Mary Cassatt start creating printed works. They're not necessarily woodblocks. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
It's rather scenes from daily life or even nature. A lot of artists in the West are seeing these woodblock prints and they're inspired by the medium of woodblock printing itself as well as the subjects. So lots of artists like Mary Cassatt start creating printed works. They're not necessarily woodblocks. In her case, she did a lot of etching and aquatints. And then some artists also created their own versions of woodblock prints. I think Van Gogh did several paintings where he attempted to recreate the scenes that were depicted in these ukiyo-e Japanese prints. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
They're not necessarily woodblocks. In her case, she did a lot of etching and aquatints. And then some artists also created their own versions of woodblock prints. I think Van Gogh did several paintings where he attempted to recreate the scenes that were depicted in these ukiyo-e Japanese prints. So there's only one artwork in the AP curriculum that I believe really represents impressionism as most art historians would define it. I've included a couple of other works here to give you a sense of what impressionism typically is and typically what it looks like. These pieces are pretty unified in their color palettes. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
I think Van Gogh did several paintings where he attempted to recreate the scenes that were depicted in these ukiyo-e Japanese prints. So there's only one artwork in the AP curriculum that I believe really represents impressionism as most art historians would define it. I've included a couple of other works here to give you a sense of what impressionism typically is and typically what it looks like. These pieces are pretty unified in their color palettes. There's lots of blues and greens. That is not necessarily a unifying element of impressionism. However, nature does feature pretty prominently in impressionist paintings. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
These pieces are pretty unified in their color palettes. There's lots of blues and greens. That is not necessarily a unifying element of impressionism. However, nature does feature pretty prominently in impressionist paintings. There's also lots of scenes of daily life. Lots of women and children, people that are chilling out in fancy clothes in the countryside, lots of nice blue skies. And what you'll notice too when you're looking at the paintings is that there's a similarity in the rendering. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
However, nature does feature pretty prominently in impressionist paintings. There's also lots of scenes of daily life. Lots of women and children, people that are chilling out in fancy clothes in the countryside, lots of nice blue skies. And what you'll notice too when you're looking at the paintings is that there's a similarity in the rendering. There's these very loose brush strokes. You can oftentimes see the kind of brush that is being used by the artist. A lot of elements of the piece are simplified. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
And what you'll notice too when you're looking at the paintings is that there's a similarity in the rendering. There's these very loose brush strokes. You can oftentimes see the kind of brush that is being used by the artist. A lot of elements of the piece are simplified. You're not seeing every single eyelash or every single hair in the eyebrow here. You're not seeing every strand of hair. What the artist is doing rather is they're kind of blending elements together and they're exploring the space and they're exploring the subject with a couple of very well-placed and intentional brush strokes. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
A lot of elements of the piece are simplified. You're not seeing every single eyelash or every single hair in the eyebrow here. You're not seeing every strand of hair. What the artist is doing rather is they're kind of blending elements together and they're exploring the space and they're exploring the subject with a couple of very well-placed and intentional brush strokes. They are also very intentional about how they're using color. You'll notice that a lot of these figures are very cohesive in their color palettes. We're not just seeing green in the lily pads. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
What the artist is doing rather is they're kind of blending elements together and they're exploring the space and they're exploring the subject with a couple of very well-placed and intentional brush strokes. They are also very intentional about how they're using color. You'll notice that a lot of these figures are very cohesive in their color palettes. We're not just seeing green in the lily pads. We're seeing green come up in the reflections in the water over here. We're also seeing it in these pond reeds. And same thing with the blue. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
We're not just seeing green in the lily pads. We're seeing green come up in the reflections in the water over here. We're also seeing it in these pond reeds. And same thing with the blue. We're not just seeing it in the water, but we're also seeing it pop up a little bit in the lily pads and in the negative space between them. So these paintings are very visually cohesive. You're not just seeing color in one place. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
And same thing with the blue. We're not just seeing it in the water, but we're also seeing it pop up a little bit in the lily pads and in the negative space between them. So these paintings are very visually cohesive. You're not just seeing color in one place. The artist is being strategic about where they are placing color. One of the reasons I love this piece right here by Morisot is that she's using this beautiful lavender purple and she's sprinkling it throughout the piece in these very strategic areas, guiding our eye around the piece and even in these areas that you wouldn't expect it, like around the negative space of the hand right here. So this is to give you a sense of what Impressionism is. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
You're not just seeing color in one place. The artist is being strategic about where they are placing color. One of the reasons I love this piece right here by Morisot is that she's using this beautiful lavender purple and she's sprinkling it throughout the piece in these very strategic areas, guiding our eye around the piece and even in these areas that you wouldn't expect it, like around the negative space of the hand right here. So this is to give you a sense of what Impressionism is. There's lots of very evocative brushstrokes, lots of like dappled light, and you'll notice too in a lot of cases that there aren't really that many outlines. Everything is kind of fuzzy looking. When we get to post-Impressionism, you'll see that this fuzziness kind of disappears. | AP At History Impressionism and Post-Impressionism_segment0.mp3 |
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