Art Fundamentals: Concepts, Functions, and Historical Movements
Understanding Art: Core Concepts and Elements
Art comes from the Latin Ars, artis, which translates the Greek techne and signifies the technique, skill, or expertise to do something.
Fundamental Art Concepts
Painting
The art and technique of representing on a flat surface any visible concrete object or something imaginary, using lines and colors.
Rhythm in Art
The repetition of an element within a structure at marked intervals, creating a regular or periodic recurrence.
Terrain
Consists of a cut or reduced surface, often used in art to describe relief or ground features.
Color
The quality of light reflected by a given area, a primary element in visual art.
Texture
The element that sensitizes surfaces by changing their appearance, which can be visual or tactile.
The Diverse Functions of Art
Art’s Purpose and Role
Magical Function
Artworks forming part of fertility rituals, funerals, hunting, or war. The object is credited with powers through which the objective of the ritual is met.
Persuasive Function
Forms acquire a dynamic design, aiming not just to impress but to involve the viewer in the expressed idea.
Ideological Function
It is possible to transmit the social or political thought of a society through forms, or express a protest against a situation that provokes grievance in a group.
Common Themes in Art
Exploring Artistic Subjects
Religious Themes
Reflects a sociocultural aspect of peoples regarding the relationship of human beings with divinity, their eagerness to satisfy spiritual needs, and to explain the unexplainable.
Landscape Themes
Features full pictorial representation of external, non-urban, or architectural environments.
Abstract Art (Absent Theme)
Refers to works where the artist disclaims direct representation and creates the work from imagination, often without a direct connection to the real world.
Early Art Forms and Historical Periods
From Ancient to Modern Art
Rock Art
Natural art representing individual animals; the human figure is less common (primarily in documentary contexts).
Portable Art (Art Furniture)
Small-dimension pieces that can be easily transported. Examples include “Venus” figurines, representative of fertility cults.
Egyptian Art
Served the religion of the ruling class, created by the power elite for the pharaoh and the god living on Earth.
Roman Art
Roman art, sometimes associated with origins in regions like France, was linked to a profound, often oppressive, religious sense.
Gothic Art
Often pejoratively labeled as ‘barbaric’ and ‘decadent’ by Renaissance critics, implying it transgressed the glorious past of classical antiquity.
Renaissance Art
A period of significant development in Europe, particularly Italian art, designating the fifteenth and early decades of the sixteenth century.
Baroque Art
Sought to achieve unexpected sensations through insights and emotions, often employing surprise effects and dramatic compositions.
Rococo
Distinguished by the use of curves, asymmetric reverse forms, and naturalistic ornamentation, often lighter and more playful than Baroque.
Romanticism
Born in Europe, this movement exalted ideological nationalist sentiments, love of country, and promoted the union of citizens, emphasizing emotion and individualism.
Realism
Prioritizes facts over imagination, depicting humanity and nature with great directness. It aimed to eliminate subjective burden and grasp only tangible reality.
Impressionism
Captures reality in flux, grasping a given moment. It focuses not on drawing the physical body, but on the effect of light upon it, often using visible brushstrokes.
Expressionism
Focuses on mental states, represented with a strength that distorts normal appearances to convey emotional experience.
Cubism
Figures are abstracted into geometric planes, with spatial illusions and perspective leading to fragmented, multi-faceted compositions.
Dadaism
Sought to destroy traditional art through mockery, using everyday objects like bottles, bicycle wheels, etc., as anti-artistic statements.
Surrealism
Described as a kind of magic, drawing from the unconscious mind and dreams to unlock the power of the imagination.
Suprematism
Rejected the world of objects, proposing a geometric language to affirm the intellectual supremacy of man over nature, focusing on pure artistic feeling.