DUAL FOCUS
ANDALUSIA
1. The creative process 7
1 Generating the idea • 2 Producing the work of art• The final challenge 2. Art and society 3
1 Art and culture • 2 Social art • The final challenge 3. Art and nature 19
1 Learning to look • 2 Interpreting and representing • The final challenge 4. Sustainable design .............................. 25
1 Sustainabililty • 2 Representing an object • The final challenge
Creating trends 31
Creating objects 43 1 Everyday objects • 2 Technical drawing • The final challenge 8. Creating spaces 49 1 Organising spaces • 2 Shared spaces • The final challenge 9. Art in everyday life ... ....................... .. 55
1 Art as a way of life • 2 Art everywhere • The final challenge
1 Fashion • 2 Designing accessories • The final challenge 6. Narrating with images 37 1 Visual narrative • 2 Multimedia images • The final challenge
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Take action!
Can you make a self-portrait with mixed techniques?
SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT THE CHALLENGE
Generating the idea
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
We are all artists
The importance of imagination
Materials and supports
Producing the work of art
The importance of sketches
Phases of the creative process
Symbolism and visual metaphors
Conceptual art
Beyond the object
Action art
Types of techniques
Digital art
FOCUS O N ENGLISH
Listening
Listen and repeat.
Speaking
Eager, a word which is often followed by to or for, means to be impatiently desirous of something. Anxious and avid are synonyms for eager. Is there anything in your life or in your immediate surroundings that awakens a desire like this in you? Explain what it is and why it makes you feel this way.
Generating the idea 1
Being an artist involves feeling a compelling need to express ideas or feelings, one’s inner world, or the particular and personal way of perceiving the world. An artist wants to express experiences, happiness and frustration. Being an artist is a way to criticise society and to express the problems or conflicts that surround us.
The creative process is the result of a burst of inspiration. However, artists also need to learn their trade and organise themselves. Techniques, skills and creativity are all part of the artistic process.
The importance of imagination
Some artists observe and express themselves with great imagination, in a very special way. They capture our attention and make us dream. They help us see beyond the obvious, with a new outlook.
1 Speaking. Answer the questions:
a) What are you good at? Are you an artist?
b) Why do some people feel the need to create? What issues or topics drive your creativity?
2 Writing. Salvador Dalí paints the world in a very special way. The need to be original and stand out is reflected in his life and artworks. Therefore, his works sometimes seems to overflow with his enthusiasm.
Find information about the life and work of Salvador Dalí, make a summary and present it to the class.
Vocabulary
Action art - Artistic process
Artistic technique - Cartoonist
Conceptual art - Creative process
Critical phase - Digital age
Digital art - Drawing technique
Flat - Graphic designer
Hyperrealistic - Imagination
Inspiration - Intuitive process
Logical phase - Material - Metal
casting - Metaphorical - Modelling
Oil technique - Self-portrait
Sketch - Skill - Support - Symbolic
Symbolism - Technique - Tool
Video game creator - Visual metaphor - Volume Water technique - Watercolor technique - Wet technique
Wood carving - Workshop
An artist in a workshop.
The Mae West Room (1934), by Salvador Dalí.
Phases of the creative process
There are three phases in the creative process:
• The logical phase involves preparation. The problem is defined, data is collected and possible solutions are proposed.
• The intuitive phase is the most creative. We develop the different possibilities.
• The critical phase is the phase in which we finally decide what we are going to do after analysing the validity of the different proposals.
Symbolism and visual metaphors
Art is influenced by the subjectivity of both the artist and the viewer. Even the most realistic photographs only show what the artist has chosen to frame.
Art is a symbolic and metaphorical language. If we carefully analyse elements, such as the shapes, characters, colours, sizes, composition, and frames, we will see that every detail has a meaning. The meaning of a composition may differ from the one that seems most obvious to us.
The importance of sketches
Sketches are preparatory drawings in which the artist changes details over and over again, searching and finding ideas. They are the essential seed of a great work. Research and discover how many sketches of Guernica Picasso drew.
3 Speaking. Do you know the work This Is Not a Pipe? It is a piece of art by René Magritte (1898-1967). Do you know its meaning? Investigate metaphors in art and visual poetry by selecting images of artistic works that illustrate them. You can start by comparing the works of Joan Brossa (1919-1998) and Chema Madoz (1958). Then explain the selected works to your colleagues.
Nedick's (1970), by Richard Estes (Marlborough Gallery, New York). This hyperrealistic artist recreates an image of a city, but in which there is actually no urban movement or people.
Work by Joan Brossa from the Poesía Brossa exhibition (MACBA, 2017).
Sketch of Guernica (1937), by Pablo Picasso.
Producing the work of art 2
Artists organise themselves based on their personality and the work they. Some artists work in spaces that are full of objects, in which chaos and entropy seem to persist among the cans, brushes and other tools. Others are clean and organised, keeping every object in its place. Artists’ workshops are places filled with interesting smells and unique objects. They are all designed for creative work, experimentation, learning by trial and error and to put different possibilities of expression to the test.
Materials and support: the possibilities of expression
Artists use various techniques and different materials. Sometimes it is necessary to use a support.
(Artists need to use sophisticated tools to work with some materials, whilst others which are more traditional don’t require the use of large tools.)
Stone, wood, clay, esparto, grass, etc.
Fabric, metal, papier-mâché, polystyrene, latex, etc.
4 Speaking. Answer the questions:
Paper, cardboard, canvas, wood, etc.
How do you think Velázquez began to paint? How do you think Rodin began to carve his first marble stone? Have you ever seen an artist’s studio?
Everyday objects, recycled objects, etc.
What materials have you used for your artistic projects? What artistic techniques are you familiar with?
5 Writing . In groups, make an illustrated dictionary of artistic terms, including concepts, techniques, materials and tools.
An artist carving stone. Works by Gilbert Legrand using recycled objects. A sculpture made with polystyrene. An artist painting on a canvas.
Type of techniques: flat and with volume
We are used to working on flat surfaces, but the majority of forms have volume. Artists can create works that are flat using techniques and materials such as graphite or charcoal, pencils, wax crayons, oil paint, acrylic paint, spray paint, etc., and supports, such as paper, canvas, cardboard, wood, a wall, etc.
Artists can build volumetric shapes using
Various techniques and materials
with flexible materials
wood or stone
Beyond the object: conceptual art, action art and digital art
Art is a reflection of an era. The result is no longer important in conceptual art. The idea is paramount. The same concept applies to action art and to any performance, as they have a certain duration.
In the digital age, artists put aside their usual materials to create multidimensional works using computers, tablets, and even mobile phones. Cartoonists, videogame creators, graphic designers, painters and even sculptors use new technology.
6 Speaking. Did you know that David Hockney’s most recent work, exhibited at the Royal Academy, is not made with brushes but with a tablet? Find information and discuss with your colleagues how new technology has changed the world of art and how professional opportunities in the art field have multiplied.
New materials, such as latex or expanded polystyrene
Performance, by Esther Ferrer (2014, Val-de-Marne Museum of Contemporary Art, France).
Modelling with clay. Wood carving. Metal casting. Sculpture made with expanded polystyrene.
Modelling
Carving
Melting metals
The final challenge
REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY IN A SELF-PORTRAIT USING MIXED TECHNIQUES
A mixed technique is one that uses more than one material or one technique in the creation of the artwork: prints or engravings with acrylic paint, watercolours with markers, charcoal drawings with red chalk and ink, clay modelling with wood inlays, etc.
SCAN THIS CODE TO CONSULT THE GLOSSARY FOR THIS UNIT.
Work in groups. Reveal your identity through a self-portrait. Make a list of your data: your style, important objects in your personal life or objects that describe you, your physical and psychological features, your feelings, etc.
STEP 1
Data selection and photo taking
• Select from the list that you have prepared the data that you would like to show about yourself. Take a close-up photo of yourself and print it out, to work on it.
STEP3
Application of techniques
• If you have chosen several wet techniques (oil painting, watercolour or acrylic), apply the water technique first and then the wax or oil technique. If you have chosen drawing techniques in which washes are used, first apply the watercolour technique and then make the graphics on top of it.
STEP 2
Choice of techniques and materials
• You can choose and mix specific techniques and materials from the fine arts (collage, acrylics, gouache, inks, markers, pencils, airbrushes...) with any type of material or object.
STEP 4
The presentation
• Show and explain your self-portrait to the class. Afterwards, organise an exhibition in the classroom with all of your classmates’ self-portraits.
MIXED TECHNIQUES IN ART
• Sandrine Boulet is a French artist who takes pictures in the streets of Paris of everyday objects that she finds (street furniture, abandoned objects, cracks in the pavement or walls, plants, etc.) and then draws on them to give them a new poetic and fun meaning. The imagination overflows in the works of Sandrine Boulet. Through her peculiar outlook, she discovers things that are not there.
Pom Pom Girl, by Sandrine Boulet.
ART AND SOCIETY
Can you make a mural to celebrate a special event?
SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT THE CHALLENGE
ART AND SOCIETY Art and culture (Heritage)
Formal analysis of a work of art Sociocultural analysis of a work of art
FOCUS O N ENGLISH
Listening Listen and repeat.
Speaking
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’? Do you think this is true? Discuss it in groups of three and share your conclusions with the rest of the class.
Social art
Popular art Community art
Art as a testimonial evidence
Relational art
Urban art
The revolutionary artist
The artist as a chronicler
Artivism
Art and culture 1
Art cannot be conceived as being isolated from society. On the contrary, it is very much linked to it and to the progress achieved by society in each historical period. Two works of art by the same artist can also be very different because their personal experiences and the society they live in change.
Art as heritage
We create objects that, as a collective memory, become part of our heritage. They can be tangible or intangible, such as a building, a ritual object, a poster, a typical dish, a traditional fabric or a piece of furniture).
We do not always give the same value to these objects. Neither do we always give artists the same value or consideration. Artistic creations are valued according to certain criteria such as aesthetics, expressiveness, ethics, ideology, and cost. Creations are often valued subjectively.
1 Speaking. Answer the questions: What do you know about the history of art? Why do you think styles change? What differentiates them? What is your heritage? What are the most popular images today? What will people think of our society when they see these images in the future?
2 Speaking. Look for elements you think form part of your heritage (natural or cultural, tangible or intangible). Classify them and explain how they have changed throughout history. Discuss which ones should be part of art history and explain why.
3 Reinterpret the work of an artist you particularly like. You can change the colour range, the composition, the size or scale or introduce new elements. Does the work still transmit the same feeling to you? Do you think its meaning has changed? Show your work in class.
Two sculptures by the artist Camille Claudel (France, 1864-1943) with very different styles: 1 La Petite Châtelaine (1893). Joseph Denais Museum (Beauforten-Vallée, France). 2 L’Âge Mûr (fragment) (18931903). Musée d’Orsay (Paris).
Collage of the Mona Lisa (2019), by Solange Gautier. Solange Gautier Collection.
Formal analysis of a work of art
The different elements that shape a work of art can be distributed in multiple ways. Different messages are conveyed depending on where we place the focus of attention, the direction of the lines of force, how we distribute the colours, the textures, the type of line we use, etc. The analysis ends up with a personal interpretation, an emotional assessment.
Sociocultural analysis of a work of art
Works of art cannot be separated from the historical and sociopolitical context in which they were created. The critical analysis of a work of art, beyond being purely formal, opens up a window to the era, customs, ideas and interests in which the artist was immersed. Therefore, art is a good way of understanding the rules and values which governed a particular society.
The artist: a reflection of society
The concept of the artist has changed over the years.
Types of artists
Magicians Propagandists Narrators
Whose works are attributed a mystical function.
They glorify a powerful figure or institution to influence people’s opinions.
4 Look at these works of art and state whether the use of colour is realistic and where the focal point is situated. Can you guess the intention of the artists and the reason for painting them this way? Hold a debate on it.
They help us to understand the world and history.
Vocabulary
Action art - Artistic activism
Artivism - Community art
Chronicler artist - Emotional assessment - Ephemeral art
Formal analysis - Heritage
Magician - Misunderstood genius
Mural - Muralism - Mystical function - Narrator - Personal interpretation - Popular art
Propagandist - Relational art
Social artist - Social outsider
Sociocultural analysis
Testimonial evidence - Urban art
Social outsiders who are not understood by their peers.
Social artists
Whose art is specially made for the good of the community.
1. Blue Lovers (1914), by Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Private collection 2. The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). Austrian Art Gallery (Vienna).
Social art 2
Artists can make us see, feel and enter other worlds. Their work develops and becomes meaningful when it comes into contact with the society that surrounds it and of which it is a part.
All forms of artistic expression are necessary. One form of art is made by the chronicler artist. He or she is a witness to the memory and identity of a people. Another form of art is made by the revolutionary artist. He or she urges us to rise up and seeks change and evolution through his or her work.
The value of art
The testimonial role of art and the need for its conservation are very important. There are many institutions and professionals involved in the promotion, care and conservation of art, such as the gallery owner, the curator, the employees of a museum, cultural managers and promoters. The street and community centres are now places where we can exhibit works of art.
Popular art and community art
Popular art and community art can gather people together thanks to common creative processes and shared experiences. Feeling that one is part of a group and collective identity boost our well-being.
Some people consider crafts, objects from popular festivals, regional dances, and traditions to be ‘minor arts’. They attribute a lack of originality and aesthetic quality to them. However, they reflect a people’s identity better than any other form of art.
5 Speaking. Answer the questions: How do you think the historical moment you are living in affects what you describe and how you describe it?
Why do we keep and conserve works of art? Why do we exhibit them? What is the purpose of art?
6 The Fallas began as a purifying festival, in which old furniture or useless items made of wood would be burnt in honour of St. Joseph. It also celebrated the arrival of spring. It has evolved and become an authentic show of ephemeral art with a high activist and critical content.
7 Do you know any festivals and popular traditions from your town? Describe the objects and costumes used. Collect pictures of them and share them with your classmates.
Return from Fishing (1894), by Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923). Musée d’Orsay (Paris).
Fallas in Valencia. 2008
Urban art
Urban art is instantaneous or quick and usually ephemeral. You do not have to go to a museum to see it. It does not ask us for permission to enter our lives; we enjoy it while walking.
Some works are promotional but most of them carry critical, subversive or thought-provoking messages. They are works that occupy entire streets or neighbourhoods, intervene in a space, on street furniture or plant elements. They can be made by one or more artists; in defense of human rights, health, etc.
Relational art
Action art pays attention to the creation process and encourages participation. Relational art goes beyond action art. It presents art as a ‘state of encounter’ between a work of art and the spectator, establishing relationships with the place. Relational art is open and participatory.
Artivism
Artivism implies a greater social involvement of the artist. It proposes a social change and encourages mobilisation and subversion through art. It makes us question our principles and helps us look at the reality that surrounds us from a different perspective.
The street is no longer just a place. It is also a space full of life and reflection. Artivism artists turn space into a place that calls for revolution.
8 Speaking. Take a walk around your neighbourhood or your city: what expressions of urban art can you see? What do you think urban art brings to cities? Do you know any urban artists? Do you think that urban art (in private or public spaces, in abandoned spaces) should be regulated by a contract?
9 Have you ever been involved in a performance, installation or other artistic work in which the artist invited you to participate? Describe it to your classmates: How did you feel? What did you like the most?
Neighbourhood Las Palmitas (Pachuca, Mexico), painted by Germen Colectivo (209 house facades).
Suicide Penguins (2010), by Vincent Huang. Installation on the Millennium Bridge in London in protest against the global ecological threat.
Untitled/Blue Placebo, by Félix González-Torres (1957-1996). Astrup Fearnley Museum (Oslo, 2015). This Cuban artist placed spread out or stacked sweets wrapped in coloured cellophane on the ground. People were allowed to pick them up.
The final challenge
CELEBRATING AN IMPORTANT EVENT WITH A MURAL
Mural painting is a type of two-dimensional artistic expression that is done on a wall; the support usually conditions the work. Many murals deal with social and political issues, as they are a good means of sociocultural transmission due to their public exposure.
SCAN THIS CODE TO CONSULT THE GLOSSARY FOR THIS UNIT.
Work in groups. Make a mural to celebrate an important event. Decide what event you want to represent using a critical or affirming approach.
STEP 1
Look for a support
• Look for a wall in poor condition and ask the owner for permission to use it. Keep in mind that the elements on the wall have to interact with your composition.
STEP3
Choose materials and the technique
• If you are going to paint, you can use water paint, oil paint or acrylic paint, and you can use stencils or paint with a brush, a sprayer, etc. If you opt for a mural with relief, you have to create layers of textures or fix materials that adhere to the wall with binders.
Prepare a proposal
STEP 2
• Prepare various intervention proposals taking into account different techniques and materials. Your work may or may not have relief; you can paint it, stick elements on it, or both things.
STEP 4
Prepare the support
• Discuss the intervention proposals and decide on one. Make preparatory drawings, gather the materials and prepare the support to create your mural.
ARTISTS AND SOCIAL ART
• Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was one of the most important artists of Mexican muralism, an artistic movement that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century that sought a political, social and economic revolution, extolling nationalism against colonialism.
Man at the Crossroads (fragment) (1934), muralpainting by Diego Rivera (485 x 1145 cm). Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS 1
Phases of the creative process
Phases of the creative process
Logical phase
It involves preparation. The problem is defined, data is collected and possible solutions are proposed.
Intuitive phase
It´s the most creative phase. We develop the different possibilities.
Critical phase
It´s the phase in which we finally decide what we are going to do after analysing the validity of the different proposals.
Materials and supports
1. An artist carving stone. 2. A sculpture made with polystyrene. 3. An artist painting on a canvas. 4. A piece of art by Gilbert Legrand using a recycled object.
Artistic techniques
Techniques and materials Flat
Graphite or charcoal, pencils or wax crayons, oil painting, acrylic painting, spray painting, etc.
Supports
Paper, canvas, cardboard, wood, a wall, etc.
Type of artistic techniques
Modelling with flexible materials
Beyond an artistic object
The main thing is the idea or concept, being indifferent to the technique, the material or the form used to represent it.
With
Techniques and materials
Wood or stone carving
Beyond the physical or material object
Metal casting
New materials, such as latex or expanded polystyrene
It has a certain duration, and it emphasises the creative act, the action and the process.
It replaces the usual materials to create multidimensional works with computers, tablets and mobile phones..
1. Wrapped Reichstag (German parliament), installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. 2. Performance, by Esther Ferrer (2014, Val-de-Marne Museum of Contemporary Art, France). 3. The Arrival of Spring at Woldgate (2011), by David Hockney, work made with a tablet.
1. Wall painting with acrylics. 2. Fragment of a mural by Microbo, which is painted on a wall. 3. Modeling with clay. 4. Wood carving. 5. Metal casting. 6. A sculpture made with expanded polystyrene.
ART AND SOCIETY
Analysis of a work of art
Formal analysis
The distribution of ithe elements conveys a message.
The focus of attention the direction of the lines of force, the colours, light, textures, types of line, etc.
Analysis of a work of art
This analysis is completed with a personal interpretation, an emotional assessment.
Magicians
Whose works are attributed a mystical function.
1.
Propagandists
They glorify a powerful figure or institution to influence people’s opinions.
Types of artists
Sociocultural analysis
The historical and socio-political context in which the piece of art was created helps us understand it better.
The period, customs, ideas and interests in which the author was immersed.
Types of artists
Narrators Misunderstood geniuses
They help us to understand the world and history.
Social outsiders who are not understood by their peers. 1 2 3 4 5
Social artists
Whose art is specially made for the good of the community.
Natural replica of the frieze of the small horses in the Lascaux II cave (France), dated around 17.000 BCE. 2. Man at the Crossroads (fragment) (1934), mural painting by Diego Rivera (485 x 1145 cm). Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City. 3. Return from Fishing (1894), by Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923). Musée d’Orsay (Paris). 4. The Mae West Room (1934), by Salvador Dalí. 5. Children on the Swing, by Louis Gan, in Georgetown (Malaysia).
Popular art
It can gather people together thanks to common creative processes and shared experiences.
Urban art
It refers to any artistic intervention or expression in the streets.
Social art
Relational art
It presents art as a ‘state of encounter’ between a work of art and the spectator, establishing relationships with the place.
Social art
Artivism
It proposes a social change and encourages mobilisation and subversion through art.
protest against the global ecological threat.
Urban art
Improving aesthetics
Different functions of urban art
Promoting something or informing people about something
Encouraging reflection
Conveying critical or subversive messages
1. Neighbourhood Las Palmitas (Pachuca, Mexico), painted by Germen Colectivo (209 house facades) 2. Catanianonsiferma, urban art work in Catania (Sicily). 3. Girl Searching Soldier (2005), by Banksy. Dheisheh refugee camp. West Bank. 4. Graffiti criticising meat consumption (Düsseldorf-Eller, Germany).
1. Fallas in Valencia. 2008. 2. Anonymous love verses written on the pedestrian crossings of Madrid, by Boa Mistura. 3. Untitled/Blue Placebo, by Félix González-Torres (1957-1996). Astrup Fearnley Museum (Oslo, 2015). 4. Suicide Penguins (2010), by Vincent Huang. Installation on the Millennium Bridge in London in
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