Afterword: Digital photography
Steve Edwards
in Photography: A Very Short Introduction
Some argue that newer technologies in digital photography represent a continuation of key themes and practices from older methods. Others suggest that the introduction of digital ...
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4. Alchemical practices: modern art and consumerism
David Cottington
in Modern Art: A Very Short Introduction
The beginning of the avant-garde came at the same time as a mushrooming of consumerism and commercialized entertainment. The burgeoning new graphic environment that these developments ...
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5. The apparatus and its image
Steve Edwards
in Photography: A Very Short Introduction
Evidence of photographs being tampered with, mocked up, or rearranged to mislead has frequently been reported, for example the airbrushing out of Trotsky and other revolutionaries from ...
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3. Art and anti-art
David Hopkins
in Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction
For the Dada and Surrealist artists, their artistic productions constantly overlapped: the textual, visual, and performance. Formal ‘beauty’ was regarded as an irrelevant pursuit and the ...
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4. Art and power
Christina Riggs
in Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: A Very Short Introduction
‘Art and power’ considers how works of art and architecture were used to negotiate power relationships between human beings in the complex, hierarchical society of ancient Egypt, and ...
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2. The art of the altarpiece
Geraldine A. Johnson
in Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction
A shift occurred over the course of the 15th century in the design (but not function) of altarpieces. The structure of altarpieces changed as did the way that these were evaluated by ...
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4. The avant-garde and revolution
David Cottington
in The Avant Garde: A Very Short Introduction
Eugène Delacroix's painting Liberty Leading the People of 1830 is arguably the most enduring image of revolutionary insurrection in the history of art. Artworks such as this mean that the ...
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1. Blood and beauty
Cynthia Freeland
in Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
‘Blood and beauty’ examines why blood has been used in so much art. Artwork in recent years has incorporated a lot of horror. Photographers have shown corpses or the grisly severed heads of ...
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4. The challenge of nature and the antique
Geraldine A. Johnson
in Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction
Much has been written on the meanings that can be inferred from the subject matter of Renaissance art. In general, Renaissance artists aimed to do more than just imitate nature and evoke ...
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6. Cognition, creation, comprehension
Cynthia Freeland
in Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
Does art bear a message in the way language does? What must we know to clarify an artwork's meaning? Can't we just look at an artwork for enjoyment? ‘Cognition, creation, comprehension’ ...
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5. Communications
John Heskett
in Design: A Very Short Introduction
‘Communications’ covers two-dimensional material that has an impact on modern life. We are continually bombarded with visual imagery. The influence of it is pervasive. It can inform, ...
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Conclusion
Cynthia Freeland
in Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
Art theory is not like scientific theories, such as Einstein's special theory of relativity or Darwin's theory of evolution: there do not seem to be any ‘laws’ of art that will predict ...
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Conclusion
David Cottington
in The Avant Garde: A Very Short Introduction
In the first decade of the 21st century, the term ‘the creative industries’ became ubiquitous and a fashionable notion. The term ‘creativity’ was seen to have value beyond its usage. ...
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3. Consumerism and co-option
David Cottington
in The Avant Garde: A Very Short Introduction
What is the relationship between the artistic avant-garde and the commodity culture of the immediate pre-First World War period? What was the cultural and social position of the newly ...
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3. Consuming culture
Julian Stallabrass
in Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introduction (2 ed.)
‘Consuming culture’ evaluates contemporary art’s relationship with consumerism and mass culture. The issue of art’s separation from or mergence with commodity culture has a long history. ...
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9. Contexts
John Heskett
in Design: A Very Short Introduction
Three levels of contextual influence are relevant to the practice of design: how designers view themselves; the business context in which the design practice is located; and government ...
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3. Cultural crossings
Cynthia Freeland
in Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
‘Cultural crossings’ asks: Can art break down barriers among cultures? John Dewey's belief that ‘the esthetic quality is the same for Greeks, Chinese, and Americans’ suggests that he is ...
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1. Dada and Surrealism: a historical overview
David Hopkins
in Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction
The early 20th century witnessed profound changes in politics, war, revolution, and technology. Early 20th-century art and literature reflected the new mind set as people reacted to these ...
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6. Did women have a Renaissance?
Geraldine A. Johnson
in Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction
What happened to the women of the Renaissance? The situation of women and the visual arts is not straightforward. It is true that women in the labouring classes probably did not benefit ...
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7. Digitizing and disseminating
Cynthia Freeland
in Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
‘Digitizing and disseminating’ considers the impact of new communications technologies on art. Some argue that the new ‘global village’ with its broad participation will restore the ...
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