Decoding Meaning
Of course, art also conveys meaning. Sometimes it tells a story (visual narrative); sometimes it suggests meaning through symbolism and metaphor like a poem. At other times, meaning seems to swim inside the feeling you get from the art — kind of like it does in music when you have a vague sense of meaning, but the feeling dominates.
The ABCs of visual narrative
Does the artwork suggest the passage of time (as opposed to being static, like a still life)?
Does it seem to have a beginning and an end?
Does it hint at something that happens outside of the picture frame?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then the artist is probably telling a story.
How do you read these stories? To read a narrative painting, you don’t necessarily start at the left and move toward the right the way you read a book — although sometimes you do, as in the Bayeux Tapestry (see Chapter 10). Instead, you begin at the focal point (the place where the artist leads your eye). The focal point may be the beginning of the story — but it can also be the climax.
Sorting symbols
Symbolism is often a key part of visual narrative and even of portraits and still lifes. Understanding symbols helps you enter the world and situation of the painting. Without that understanding, you may miss much of an artist’s message. For example, consider these interpretations from many observers:
The meandering road in Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (see Chapter 11) symbolizes the path of life, or as the Beatles called it, “The Long and Winding Road.”
The skull in Frans Hals’s Young Man with a Skull obviously symbolizes death.
The apple in Nicolas Poussin’s The Holy Family on the Steps (see Chapter 14) clearly suggests the Garden of Eden, even though there’s no sign of Adam and Eve or the serpent.
Chapter 3
The Major Artistic Movements
IN THIS CHAPTER
In Chapter 1, you find out that art movements and art periods have varying time frames (periods are long, movements are short) and include the works of artists with similar concerns and outlooks. Chapter 1 also presents the major art periods, which are not usually driven by conscious choice on the part of artists. Periods typically outlast movements and develop gradually due to widespread cultural or political pressures.
In this chapter, I tell you a bit more about the differences between art periods and movements and offer a tour through the sequence of movements that began in the mid-19th century. Enjoy the ride!
Distinguishing an Art Period from a Movement
Distinguishing an art movement from an art period is largely a matter of scope: the duration and intention noted in Chapter 1 and the number of participating artists.
An art movement is launched intentionally by a small group of artists who want to promote or provoke change. For example, members of the movement may oppose war or a particular political system. Here are some characteristics of movements:
A movement is usually associated with an art style and often an ideology. Like the women’s movement or the civil rights movement, an art movement may push for a new perspective on specific issues.
Sometimes, artists in a movement write manifestos that spell out their goals and hold movement meetings.
Typically, the artists in a movement hang out together and show their work in group exhibitions. Their art shares stylistic features and focuses on similar subjects.
An art period is often based on a parallel historical era and involves artists who paint similar subjects and typically, though not always, share a set of beliefs. For example, here are key characteristics of art made during the early Christian era:
The period is referred to as the Early Christian art period. Art historians group art of this period together because the artists lived at the same time, painted Christian subjects, and were often driven by the same spirit. Note: Early on, pagan artists were frequently hired to create Christian subject matter because, for the most part, they were the only ones with the experience and requisite skills.
The artists didn’t write manifestos or hold meetings in which they discussed ideology and stylistic guidelines. Instead, their shared time frame and beliefs gave their art a similar “Early Christian” look.
Tracking Major 19th-Century Art Movements
When the “movements” trend kicked in around the middle of the 19th century, periods pretty much got pushed out of the picture. Since then, the direction of art is no longer dictated by church or state, but by the artists themselves.
Realism (1840s–1880s)
Realists reasserted the integrity of the physical world by stripping it of what they viewed as Romantic dreaminess or fuzziness (see