Module 1 - Introductions and Definitions

ARTISTIC ROLES

Visual artists and the works they produce perform specific roles. These roles vary between cultures. We can examine some general areas to see the diversity they offer – and perhaps come up with some new ones of our own.

Description

A traditional role of visual art is to describe our self and our surroundings. Some of the earliest artworks discovered are drawings and paintings of humans and wild animals on walls deep within prehistoric caves. One particular image is a hand print: a universal symbol of human communication.

Portraits

Portraits, landscapes and still life are common examples of description. Portraits capture the accuracy of physical characteristics but the very best also transfer a sense of an individual’s unique personality. For thousands of years this role was reserved for images of those in positions of power, influence and authority. The portrait not only signifies who they are, but also solidifies class structure by presenting only the highest-ranking members of a society. The portrait bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, dated to around 1300 BCE, exemplifies beauty and royalty.

Egyptian, Bust of Nefertiti, painted sandstone, c. 1370 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin.
Licensed under Creative Commons and GNU.

The full-length Imperial Portrait of Chinese Emperor Xianfeng below not only shows realism in the likeness of the emperor, it exalts in the patterns and colors of his robe and the throne behind him.

M1_Image2_Emperor Xianfeng.jpeg

Imperial Portrait of Emperor Xianfeng, China, c. 1855. Palace Museum, Bejing.
Licensed under Creative Commons.

Landscapes

Landscapes – by themselves – give us detailed information about our natural and human made surroundings; things like location, architecture, time of day, year or season plus other physical information such as geological elements and the plants and animals within a particular region.

In many western cultures, the more realistic the rendering of a scene the closer to our idea of the ‘truth’ it becomes. In the 15^th century German artist Albrecht Durer creates vivid works that show a keen sense of observation. His Young Hare from 1495 is uncanny in its realism and sense of animation.

Albrecht Durer, Young Hare, c. 1505, gouache and watercolor on paper. Albertina Museum, Vienna.
Image in the public domain.

Scientific Illustration

Out of this striving for accuracy and documentation developed the art of scientific illustration. The traditional mediums of painting and drawing are still used to record much of the world around us. Linda Berkley’s Merino Ram uses a layered approach to record in great detail the physical anatomy of the head of the great sheep.

Merino Ram, composite drawing, colored pencil, acrylic on Canson paper, 2009. Linda Berkley, Illustrator.
Used by permission of the artist

Enhancing our World

Enhancing the world of our everyday lives is another role art plays. This role is more utilitarian than others. It includes textiles and product design, decorative embellishments to the items we use everyday and all the aesthetic considerations that create a more comfortable, expressive environment

Narratives: How Artists Tell Their Stories

Artists can combine representation with more complex elements and situational compositions to bring a narrative component into art. Using subject matter – the objects and figures that inhabit a work of art -- as a vehicle for communicating stories and other cultural expressions is another traditional function of visual art.

The narrative tradition is strong in many cultures throughout the world. They become a means to perpetuate knowledge, morals and ethics, and can signify historical contexts within specific cultures. Narrative takes many forms; the spoken or written word, music, dance and visual art are the mediums most often used. Many times one is used in conjunction with another. In his Migration Series Jacob Lawrence paints stark, direct images that communicate the realities of the African American experience in their struggle to escape the repression of the South and overcome the difficulties of adjusting to the big cities in the North.

In contrast, photographers used the camera lens to document examples of segregation in the United States. Here the image on film tells its poignant story about inequalities based on race.

Man Drinking at a Water Cooler in the Street Car Terminal, Russell Lee, Oklahoma City, 1939.
Photo from the National Archives and in the public domain

Spirit, Myth and Fantasy

Tied to the idea of narrative, another artistic role is the exploration of other worlds beyond our physical one. This world is in many ways richer than our own and includes the world of spirit, myth, fantasy and the imagination; areas particularly suited for the visual artist. We can see how art gives a rich and varied treatment to these ideas. Artist Michael Spafford has spent his career presenting classical Greek myths through painting, drawing and printmaking. His spare, abstract style uses high contrast images to strong dramatic effect. A Smiling Figure from ancient Mexico portrays a god of dance, music and joy. A third example, Hieronymus Bosch’s painting the Temptation of Saint Anthony, gives the subject matter both spiritual and bizarre significance in the way they are presented. His creative imagination takes the subject of temptation and raises it to the realm of the fantastic. There is an entire module devoted to the idea of the other world later in this course.