Defining Beauty Lecture by Ivy C. Dally South Suburban College South Holland, IL
What is Beauty? Take 2 minutes to write down the first thoughts that come to mind.
What is Beauty? Beauty (noun): the quality present in a thing that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (shapes, sounds, colors), a design or pattern, or something else. 2. A beautiful person, especially a woman. 3. A beautiful thing, such as a work or art or nature. In the west, beauty and perfection have long been linked.
Met Museum Connections Perfection episode http://www.metmuseum.org/connections/perfect ion#/ As you watch the video clip, which works do you find beautiful? Are there any examples of perfection you don t find beautiful?
Beauty in Ancient Greece The roots of the western ideas of beauty are found in Ancient Greece (ca. 900-323 BCE). Three major components to Greek Beauty: Humanism: a philosophy that placed human beings at the center of moral and social concerns. In the arts, Man is the Measure of All Things. Proportions: philosophers believed beauty could be found in mathematics; through proportions and ratios. Idealism: youthful, strong, free from blemishes and wrinkles. Moving towards mimesis imitation. Warrior, from sea near Riace, ca. 460-450 BCE, bronze.
Kouros, Archaic marble statue, ca. 600 BCE, Figure 15.2
Polykleitos of Argos, Spear Bearer, (Canon) marble copy. Figure 15.3
Copy after Praxiteles Aprhodite of Knidos ca. 350 BCE "...we entered the temple. In the midst thereof sits the goddess--she's a most beautiful statue of Parian marble--arrogantly smiling a little as a grin parts her lips. Draped by no garment, all her beauty is uncovered and revealed, except in so far as she unobtrusively uses one hand to hide her private parts and so we decided to see all of the goddess we were filled with an immediate wonder for the beauty we beheld. ~Attributed to Lucian
Iktinos and Kallikrates, The Parthenon, Athens, 447-438 BCE. Figure 15.4a
The Parthenon Both a temple and a bank vault in Athens. Dedicated to Athena Parthenos (the Virgin). Considered to be the greatest and most beautiful marble building in the western world. Beauty achieved through symmetrical balance, perfect proportions (4:9 Golden ration) relief sculpture showing ideal Greek heros, and entasis (swelling of the columns) representing the human body. Embodies the idea that Man is the Measure of All Things.
Beauty in the Italian Renaissance Rebirth of the ideas of ancient Greece humanism, proportions, and perfection. Combined with Neoplatonic philosophy. Belief that God was Beauty and the source of beauty. A contemplation of the beautiful brought the viewer closer to God. Highest beauty found in humankind and the natural world. More mimesis. Detail of Botticelli s Primavera, 1482.
SANDRO BOTTICELLI, Birth of Venus, ca. 1484 1486. Tempera on panel, Florence. Figure 16.5
Raphael, The Alba Madonna, 1510. Oil on panel transferred to canvas.
Michelangelo, Pietà, 1501 Marble, Figure 3.21
Beauty in Japan Beauty in Japan revolves around the ideas of simplicity, modesty, and impermanence. It is both seen and felt. Wabi is seen as pure, humble, and lonely. Sabi is satisfaction in poverty; rustic/aged objects are beautiful. Natural materials Asymmetrical, cropped, off-center compositions Handmade objects Kogan tea ceremony jar, late 16 th century. Shino ware with under-glaze design.
Main hall, Amaterasu shrine, Ise, Japan, Kofun period or later; rebuilt every 20 years. Figure 17.26993
Shrine in Shinto, a nature based religion. Ke, natural forces, coalesce in trees and stones. Small shrine built in a scared forest of sacred trees with a thatched roof. Floor of pebbles. Large ridge poles supported not by walls but by two large columns at either end of the building. Building surrounds a central sacred post called the shin-no mihashira. It remains hidden from view from all except the Shinto priestesses.
Kitagawa Utamaro. Reflected Beauty, Seven Beauties Applying Make-up: Okita. c. 1790. Figure 17.32
The Rejection of Beauty in Modern Art Modern painting is dated ca. 1848-1970. Realism: art based on unembellished scenes of contemporary life. Accused of being ugly: Showed wrinkles, warts, dirt. Subjects included the urban poor. Areas of flat color, lack of modeling. Moving towards abstraction. More concerned with conveying political and social ideas than beauty. Manet, The Luncheon on the Grass, 1863. Fig. 20.17
GUSTAVE COURBET, The Stone Breakers, 1849. Oil on canvas, 5 3 x 8 6. Formerly at Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (destroyed in 1945).
Compare and Contrast: Titian s Venus of Urbino with Manet s Olympia
Picasso, Les Demoiselle d Avignon, oil on canvas, 1907.
Beauty in the 21 st Century For homework (since we did not have a quiz), email me an image you find from the 21 st century by Tuesday at Noon. On Wednesday you will speak to the class for 1-2 minutes about why the picture is beautiful. Is it based in idealism? Mathematical proportions? Is it natural? An example of wabi sabi? Images can be artworks, magazine covers, photos, etc. Worth 10 points.
Things to Study Terms: Beauty Canon Idealism Contrapposto Wabi Sabi Art Historical Styles Ancient Greece Italian Renaissance French Realism Analytic Cubism Japan Works to ID by artist and title. Be able to explain the idea of beauty (or its lack) in these as well. 15.2 15.3 15.4 16.5 3.21 17.26 17.32 20.11 20.17 21.8