The "ISMS" of Art. Guy Hubbard.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Publishers' Development Corporation

One way of learning about art is to study the work of individual artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, since art is very personal and each artist's work is unique. Another way is to look at art named after the places and times it was made, such as Egyptian or Victorian.

Yet another useful way of learning about art is to describe it as belonging to a particular set of ideas. For example, a popular art movement that spread all over the world is called "Impressionism."

Other artists have joined together in groups, also with names ending in "ism"; but these names can often be confusing. For that reason, this year's Clip & Save articles will explain what artists belonging to some of the more important "isms" of art have been trying to do.

Art movements are not new. The oldest are Classicism and Romanticism. Classical art was invented in ancient Greece and later adopted by the Romans; and it was revived more than 1,000 years later during the Italian Renaissance. Since then, Western artists have been guided by the rules of Classicism, and the shapes, patterns and proportions they use are similar to those first invented by ancient Greek artists. People and animals are likely to be handsome, well-proportioned and posed in well-thought-out groups that are in ways either athletic or elegant. The proportions and designs of Classical buildings are also similar to those found in Greece and Rome, and are equally elegant. Classical designs of clothing and decoration have similar origins.

Of course, all artistic styles show themselves differently in the work of every artist, and changes occur every time a style is rediscovered; but with practice, students will be able to identify them. They will also know about a style by the way it is named. A newer kind of Classicism in art is likely to be called Neoclassicism. The statue shown in this article by the sculptor, Horatio Greenough, is an example of American Neoclassical art of 150 years ago.

A very different kind of art from Classicism is named Romanticism. Like Classical art, it has ancient origins. Unlike Classicism, however, it usually emphasizes themes that are passionate or violent, rather than cool and elegant. And compared with Classicism, Romanticism in art has fewer rules about how art should be created. For example, Romantic art is likely to be created quite quickly and show powerful, often disturbing, human feelings.

Romantic artists are also likely to distort the shapes of people and animals, while buildings and landscapes are frequently seen to be magical or mysterious--and often threatening. For example, Gothic castles, including ruins, are often described as Romantic. The picture shown here is by Thomas Cole, who was an American Romantic painter working in the 19th century.

While numbers of people believe that Romanticism in art first appeared in northern Europe, and Classicism began on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, that is too simple an explanation. These artistic opposites have occurred all over the world at different times and in different ways. To understand recent European and American art, knowing about these two traditions is useful and they will be mentioned repeatedly in this year's Clip & Save articles.

Yet another long-standing "ism" that students may find useful to know about is Realism. While Greek and Roman sculpture is often thought to be realistic, human figures are actually distorted to fit shapes and proportions that were carved to be perfect or ideal. Classical art was revived during the Italian Renaissance long after the end of the Roman Empire. The contrast of Renaissance art with the painting and sculpture made during the Middle Ages was so great, however, that people came to think of Classical art as realistic--even though it is not. Most Renaissance artworks are not examples of Realism, either.

Realism is really only a few hundred years old. It is the attempt at exact replication of what was in front of an artist. Some of the earliest Realism is found in the work of Dutch artists during the 17th century, especially in pictures by Vermeer van Delft. The goal of Realism is to show exactly what the artist saw and to prove it in every way possible--even if it offended people.

In the painting shown on the following page by the master of American Realist painters, Thomas Eakins, the scene shows a famous surgeon operating on a person exactly as the artist saw it. At the time, many people were offended by Eakins' honesty of showing blood in a picture and would not let him exhibit the painting with other artworks.

These three historic "isms" (Classicism, Romanticism and Realism), have had powerful influences on recent art and will be mentioned during the year in Clip & Save articles. Occasionally they will also appear as part of the names of some of the newer art movements, such as Neo-Romanticism and Cubist-Realism. Another word that will appear is "Post." It is used to name an art movement that came after another one, such as Post-Impressionism and Post-Modernism.

Over the last 200 years, as a result of revolutions, industrialization, technology and world wars, artists have found themselves continually rethinking the meaning of art. Consequently, fresh ideas have arisen that have grown into new art movements. Some have proven to be long-lasting, while others have vanished within a year or two. And some artists have belonged to more than one art movement or have borrowed ideas from several of them. While most recent art movements are usually grouped together and called Modernism and, more recently, Post-Modernism, they also include time-tested ideas that began centuries ago.

The Clip & Save articles this year will feature 10 art movements that arose over the last 150 years and have names ending in "ism." While many other art movements have appeared during this time, this selection represents some of the more important ones. Explanations will be given to show the linkages among these groups as well as with groups that were less prominent.

THE CLIP & SAVE ART PRINT FORMAT

Each Art Print and related text continues to be organized--as in preceding years--so that readers will know what to expect and be able to find information that could be useful to them. As usual, the centerfold will be occupied with a large, full-color reproduction of an artwork suitable for classroom display.

Although several of the art movements to be featured have European origins, the monthly prints, as well as the reproductions in this introductory article, are all by American artists. This decision was made because above all else, American students should know about American artists.

The page before the centerfold, "Classroom Use," includes information and ideas about how to use the Clip & Save Art Print in the classroom. The opening section on this page is titled, "Things to Learn," and consists of an explanation of the art movement and information about the most important artists who worked in that "ism."

The next section, "Things to Do," offers suggestions for classroom activities based on the artwork. Lastly, "Building a Picture File," is intended to help teachers and students make the fullest instructional use of the print. A method for helping teachers organize Art Print images efficiently in a teaching file is available on request.

The page following the reproduction, which is called "Art Notes," includes notes expressly about the artist and the work illustrated in the centerfold that, once again, teachers may find useful in their teaching.

USING THE CLIP & SAVE ART PRINTS

The single most important thing a teacher can do with the prints is display them on the classroom wall and direct student attention to them. Students might be asked questions about the meanings of the images with answers derived from the accompanying notes. After some preparatory thought, teachers can also encourage students to participate in discussions about the artworks and help make them more confident when defending their opinions in public.

To help achieve the above goals, teachers are encouraged to laminate the reproductions in order to extend their useful life. This is especially important if students are to handle the prints. Other teachers may prefer to mat the prints for wall display and place photocopies of the notes beside them for students to read.

Alternatively, the 10 monthly prints may be used to form a nucleus of images to which students may add other prints and, in so doing, extend their knowledge and appreciation of the kinds of art represented.

Thomas Cole traveled up the Hudson River when he was 24 and became so inspired by the grandeur of what he saw that he made his home there. Like other Romantic paintings of the time, this picture is very theatrical. The foreground is occupied by rocks and dead trees, objects that appear in numbers of Cole's landscapes. The figure on horseback and the cabin beyond show just how small people are compared with the grandeur of Nature. The focus of attention, however, is the narrow gateway in the mountains that invites people to explore further.

Cole first made sketches of scenes that interested him and then returned to his studio to paint the pictures. As a result, his compositions are based on what he saw; none of his paintings presents a perfect record of any particular view.

Horatio Greenough lived at a time when many artists were working in a style borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome. Their art was called Neoclassicism (or New Classicism). Greenough's idea for this sculpture came from Greek art where human figures were made to look perfect.

Ancient Greek sculptures usually wore only a robe draped around them, so that is the way Greenough sculpted the great American general and subsequent president. However, Greenough was required to model the head from a portrait by the French sculptor, Houdon. So unlike the rest of the sculpture, which shows a perfect human body seated in the kind of pose used by Greek artists, the head is of a much older man and is much more realistic.

Thomas Eakins constantly tried to make his pictures as realistic as possible. He made careful sketches beforehand and also used photographs to help him. He painted this picture of the great Philadelphia surgeon, Dr. Gross, as a modern-day hero instead of the usual soldier or politician. Everyone was impressed with the quality of Eakins' work but were offended by the subject--especially since the surgeon had blood on his hands. And they didn't approve of the sobbing figure of the relative in the left foreground.

Students may be interested to know that, at the time, anyone could attend a surgical operation. In fact, Eakins can be seen silhouetted against a doorway at the right.

Guy Hubbard is Professor Emeritus of Indiana University, Bloomington, and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Arts & Activities.