An Introduction to Contextual Studies
Week 1
When looking into the subject of Contextual Studies in relation to the Arts we can start by asking a series of questions.
Question 1
Importance of fine art in wider visual culture
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)
Piet Mondrian was born on the 7th march 1872, in the Netherlands, he was originally called Mondriaan, but changed his name around the era of 1905 -1907, only he knows why he did this.
Mondrian was a landscape artist, who painted images of fields, rivers and windmills, county side scenes, but was know to have grown bored and was looking for something new, his paintings at the time had started to changed to more abstract images, within his own landscape pictures.
He moved to Paris in 1912. Paris was a more vibrant city, where fine art was at the centre of visual cultures. He was inspired by new kinds of artists and their works, for example the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who had been working together to experiment with shapes and colours in an abstract way, they had created a new way of expressing their own feelings into their art work, this was the birth of Cubism or the Cubism style.
Mondrian was in the Netherlands when world war 1 broke out, during this time at home he began working on a more abstract style or Neo Plastic, he was using simpler colours, and changed his composition in his pictures. When the war was over, Mondrian returned to Paris, he starting working with several famous artists of the era, one being Theo Van Doesburg, together they formed a group known as the De Stijl Movement.
These images below are some of the most influential designs and colours that we still see in todays society. They have inspired many designers and their creations, from the fashion industry, like shoes, dresses, trainers, glasses frames, house hold items, like tissue boxes, paintings, furniture, bedding, magazine covers like Vogue, and even in cooking.
Piet Mondrian was born on the 7th march 1872, in the Netherlands, he was originally called Mondriaan, but changed his name around the era of 1905 -1907, only he knows why he did this.
Mondrian was a landscape artist, who painted images of fields, rivers and windmills, county side scenes, but was know to have grown bored and was looking for something new, his paintings at the time had started to changed to more abstract images, within his own landscape pictures.
He moved to Paris in 1912. Paris was a more vibrant city, where fine art was at the centre of visual cultures. He was inspired by new kinds of artists and their works, for example the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who had been working together to experiment with shapes and colours in an abstract way, they had created a new way of expressing their own feelings into their art work, this was the birth of Cubism or the Cubism style.
Mondrian was in the Netherlands when world war 1 broke out, during this time at home he began working on a more abstract style or Neo Plastic, he was using simpler colours, and changed his composition in his pictures. When the war was over, Mondrian returned to Paris, he starting working with several famous artists of the era, one being Theo Van Doesburg, together they formed a group known as the De Stijl Movement.
These images below are some of the most influential designs and colours that we still see in todays society. They have inspired many designers and their creations, from the fashion industry, like shoes, dresses, trainers, glasses frames, house hold items, like tissue boxes, paintings, furniture, bedding, magazine covers like Vogue, and even in cooking.
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| Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1921 |
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| Mondrian inspired chair design ! |
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| Mondrian inspired cake ! |
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| Mondrian Inspired fashion ! |
Quote : " To approach the spiritual in art, one will make as little use as possible of reality, because reality is opposed to the spiritual.”
- Piet Mondrian
Question 2
What to consider when looking at art.
A. Colour & Tone
What colours were used ? How was they used ? Did the artist use clear bright bold colours or blended soft tones? was there a large variety of colour choice in the early years?.
A very good example of early colour usage was from the Artist Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Cassai, known as Masaccio. The Trinity Fresco, was painted in 1427.
What colours were used ? How was they used ? Did the artist use clear bright bold colours or blended soft tones? was there a large variety of colour choice in the early years?.
A very good example of early colour usage was from the Artist Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Cassai, known as Masaccio. The Trinity Fresco, was painted in 1427.
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| Masaccio, Trinity Fresco 1427. |
The artist painted directly onto the wall (wet plaster) he is believed to have mixed his colours with egg york. He blended the colours together in a way that draws your eyes directly into the picture, his clever use of colour tone, and the placing of the columns with the crucifix and Jesus centred directly in the middle, gives you a 3 dimensional image, that automatically draws you right in to the heart of the painting.
B. Size.
What size is the image? is it big or small?, what are the dimensions?
Most pictures that we see now a days are either on a computer, mobile phone, a TV screen, thus giving us a false sense of how the image really looks. The best way is to view the painting or image in the flesh, by visiting a gallery you can research this information online but I would ensure that you use a reputable source.
A good example of this is.
The 2 images could be the same size, that's what our eyes believe, an illusion when we see them through a another medium, like a computer screen.
What size is the image? is it big or small?, what are the dimensions?
Most pictures that we see now a days are either on a computer, mobile phone, a TV screen, thus giving us a false sense of how the image really looks. The best way is to view the painting or image in the flesh, by visiting a gallery you can research this information online but I would ensure that you use a reputable source.
A good example of this is.
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| Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931 |
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| Pollock One, 1950 |
The 2 images could be the same size, that's what our eyes believe, an illusion when we see them through a another medium, like a computer screen.
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| Pollock, One (no 31) 1950 and Dali, The Persistence of memory, 1931 the relative Size |
Here are the same two paintings brought together This is the actual dimentions of the 2 above paintings side by side, as you can see the dimensions of the pictures vary hugely.
C. Texture
Materials used
Canvas Type
Quality of Equipment
D. Context
Question 3.
Non-physical context
Theoretical frameworks
Class discussion Richards Seminar
The Beginnings of Modern Art
Week 2
1 Impressionism
(General characteristics)
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Camille Pissarro (1831-1903)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
1874- 1st Impressionist exhibition
Monet, Impression: Sunrise. 1873
2. Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)
What was different?
The Stone Breakers (1849)
The Artist Studio (1855)
Good Morning Mr Courbet (1854)
3. Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)
Mont Sainte Victoire (1904/5) and (1906)
All notes for contextual studies are at this present moment in a book form.
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