Contemporary Maori Art

Kia ora koutou and belated birthday wishes to Ms Rogers, 21 AGAIN.

Sadly this is last post of the year and nearly time for you to fly the nest.

It's been an absolute pleasure and an honour to work with you all.

I hope you've found the blog useful and informative....despite my dreadful jokes.

Well it's back to business and our final topic - Contemporary Maori Art.

Yes, we've saved some of the best 'till last.

In case you thought it was going to be all red, black and white, think again. Some of it will be, but be prepared for the unexpected, (a bit like the exams).

It seems incredible that until the 1984 exhibition Te Maori at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Maori Art had not been considered as central to the identity of Aotearoa.

Even in NZ, it had rarely been viewed outside a few dusty displays in museums or on marae.

Luckily for us, Maori art forms have developed into political, social and cultural icons of our modern lives; by 2001 Maori artists were representing NZ on the world stage and a universal voice had been acknowledged for the artists we will be looking at.

One of the many visionary figures in this movement to highlight Maori art was Gordon Tovey.

He targeted young Maori trainee teachers to encourage participation in a bicultural arts education. Many of these teachers became the grandaddy's of Maori art today: Hotere, Matchitt, Adsett and many more.

We are well accustomed to seeing both traditional and contemporary images of Maori Art but need to remain mindful of whether they are appropriate, original or just tacky tourist goods.

Throughout this amazing topic we will be referring to the main themes of:

• Te whenua - the land
• Political events/ activism - Bastion Point 1978, Springbok Tour 1981, Hikoi 1976, 2004 & 2009
• Triti o Waitangi - treaty and settlement issues
• Cultural identity/ race relations - leadership, equality and status in an urban environment
• Prophet movements - Maori religious movements and faith healers
• Spirituality - concepts and cosmology

Our artists for this topic are:

Robyn Kahukiwa, the political activist

Shane Cotton and his recent exhibition plus review

Michael Parekowhai at his most ingenious

Jacqueline Fraser and some later works. The title of which make me laugh out loud.

Others not to be overlooked: Lisa Reihana, Shona Rapira Davies,

Hemi Macgregor and finally, the fabulous feminist, Emare Karaka.

I hope you've enjoyed your journey. Go forth and travel as much as you can.

Art History will take you places, if you let it.

Send me a postcard when you get there - Mrs Gx

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka.

A choppy sea can be navigated.

(persevere in your revision)

Contemporary Diversity

image: John Pule -detail from Kulukakina

(after experiencing something miraculous, withdraw) 2004 - Queensland Gallery of Modern Art

The exams are behind us, but also ahead of us.

Well done in the mocks - a special shout out to Harriet who answered way more questions than required, without amphetamines or a bionic hand, still leaving early!

And so dear reader, the last term is upon us.

Indeed it's - (cue the terrible 80's rock anthem) -THE FINAL COUNTDOWN dananaan naaaan na dananaan naaaan naaaaaaaaaaa..................................

Anyway, we have two topics still to cover within the NZ Art category and to make life a little more interesting we are not following the order of the work book.

Indeed, we will start firstly with Contemporary Diversity and finish with Contemporary Maori Art.

There is a method to my madness, trust me, I'm a doctor. Doctor? Yes, Doctor Who! ...sorry.

What is Contemporary Diversity? The NCEA course outline describes it as:

"recognising the diversity of artists and approaches that currently exists, and is likely to continue to exist, in New Zealand art. Stylistic diversity, cultural diversity, and artists working with diverse media are some examples of diversity of art in New Zealand at the present time. Teachers are able to select content that is appropriate to their students, for example, an investigation of Pasifika art, or time-based art. The recommended artists listed above provide a starting point for consideration of contemporary diversity in New Zealand art with the inclusion of Pasifika artists such as John Pule and Fatu Feu'u, photographer Megan Jenkinson, sculptor Neil Dawson, and the figuration of Richard Killeen."

We will do just that and you'll notice that our workbook covers these artists, which is handy.

There are a few new ideas and phrases to get used to; worry not, you are well able to apply your CSI skills to understand all of the images we will discuss.

Before we begin, let's unpick our first new phrase:

Postmodernism

Of course as the prefix suggests, it's a movement following Modernism.

It covers a range of styles, rejects traditional galleries, sometimes uses unusual or ready made materials and is impossible to clearly identify.

Confused? It's basically a rebellion. Artists deconstructing and reinterpreting ideas.

A modern version of Mannerism really.

Our old friend Duchamp was way ahead of his time and is really the grandaddy of the movement, (which didn't really get started until the 1960s).

Here's the second new phrase:

Cultural Diversity

In Aotearoa we have gone beyond being a bicultural nation. Becoming a multicultural nation is a hot political topic and one which artists have begun to debate successfully through their art making, (and using a great deal more intellect than some small minded public figures).

Be prepared for the unexpected in the exams with this topic and remain confident in the knowledge that you have the skills to win.

Familiarising yourself with these contemporary NZ artists will help.

In understanding the concept of diversity and postmodernism it is imperative that you appreciate the significant contribution NZ makes on the world stage of modern art.

Here's a couple of examples to make Clark's head hurt looking for the 'real painting':

Judy Millar and Frances Uprichard at The Venice Biennale and the amazing etal, a collective who appear in a variety of guises and also were Biennale exhibitors.

And now, the artists who we are using to represent Cultural Diversity:

Fatu Feu'u - the art of Siapo (Samoan Tapa cloth) and the design elements

John Pule - plus his most recent work

Neil Dawson - his famous ferns and other wonderful works

Richard Killeen - check out the digital stuff too

Megan Jenkinson - and images from her Antarctica Arts Fellowship

I'd also like to tack on another significant contributor: Michel Tuffery. His political work IS making a difference (helpful in the Excellence thread of your answers) and finally, a handful of others who would also fit within this topic.

NZ Feminist Art

Feminist Art is about Challenging the Patriarchy - questioning stereotypes and celebrating subject matter which has always been used as a tool of subjugation against women, for example, menstuation.

Before we begin this taboo breaking topic, it is important that we clarify two aspects to HERSTORY - history from a female perspective:

• artists who are celebrating the female: goddess images/ feminine ritual and
• artists deconstructing social and cultural practices: confronting the establishment/ political consciousness raising

MANY feminist artists cross between the two concerns, but it will be useful to organise your research and learning in this way.

From 1970s onwards, feminists from the USA like Judy Chicago,

Cindy Sherman and Miriam Schapiro, (who worked tirelessly to establish traditionally feminine art forms such as fabric work to become accepted in art galleries), were role models for female New Zealand artists.

By raising the awareness of female inequality in America, feminists ensured it became an issue in Aotearoa. This work is still going on today, join the Guerilla Girls in their onslaught against stereotyping in Hollywood.

NZ Artists such as Allie Eagle asserted the importance of issues that primarily affect women: rape, abuse, contraception and abortion.

Her works such as "Empathy for a Rape Trial Victim" 1978 and

"This Woman Died: I Care" 1978, made a tremendous difference in confronting previously ignored subject matter, in a public arena.

The fabulous Jaqueline Fahey affirmed women's experiences and brought, what had previously considered the seemingly banal - by men - grrrrrrrr, to art institutions.

Throughout her career she has challenged assumptions that household chores and real family situations were not suitable subject matter as "High Art".

Final Domestic Expose - I Paint Myself, 1982, is huge. It's scale alone is enough to qualify it as High Art, however, the use of collage and decorative chaos is enough to sideline her as an emotional and erratic woman!

Never likely to be shown alongside McCahon or Woollaston. As if she needs it.

Our final artist for this topic - although we could spend all year on this theme alone- is

Carole Shepheard. Her work includes the use of craft materials and core imagery, such as circles - see Amazon Shield, a celebration of strong Matriarchal cultures. Added to this, Shepheard uses the grid as a format to illustrate quilts and stitching and photography to demonstrate aspects of female power.

Summing up aspects of the NZ Feminist Art topic :

• use of craft "low art" techniques, celebrating weaving, quilting, stitching
• equality - women working collectively, changing names, blurring boundries - not artist as lone genius - please we've had enough of this you self indulgent Expressionist males
• un- saleable works - performance art, collaborative pieces not suitable for traditional galleries
• confrontational/ political work - shocking the male viewer - BOOO!
• female imagery - and an opportunity to say VAGINA on the school blog :-)

NZ Expressionism

They're mad, bad and dangerous to know.
That's how one art critic described two of the three artists we deal with in this topic.

Expressionism is all about getting down and dirty with your feelings and portraying them through the magic medium of paint.
These guys are what's known as Neo Expressionists - a combination of emotional paint work with a good dose of rational planning to make the work readable.
One central painter in the background was Rudi Gopas, an Art Teacher at Ilam, who expounded the theories of European Expressionism.
He brought this new style to the NZ public with lashings of thick brush marks and swathes of yellow and purple paint..
Other artist models who make a huge impact on these men are:
Francisco Goya (don't loose your head),
Vincent Van Gogh (watch that razor, mind your earrr........too late) and
Francis Bacon (fancy a sandwich?), among many, many others.

There are may threads to link the NZ Expressionist artists in this topic, death being one of them and use of self portraits, another.
They have all considered themselves as outsiders and struggled with deeply personal issues.
All of them have benefited from study grants which gave them the chance of long spells away from NZ, traveling to see the major art collections of the world, particularly Europe and USA.
Use all of these factors when writing a context answer.

So roll on the drums please.....here are the bad boys of paint you need to know -
Philip Clairmont
Tony Fomison
Jeffrey Harris
Enjoy the topic and widen you world view further by learning a little more about another art movement.

NZ Abstraction

Well hello there, it's time to officially move off from our background information and onward towards Abstraction. Yikes!

There are lots of new ideas to consider here, but first our workbook. Ooooh the excitement of it all AND a silky cover. Double joy.

Ok enough you thrill seekers, back to work.

New Zealand abstraction is usually considered in relation to international artists and movements. There will be references to Abstraction and Expressionism and AbEx - get it?

Here you need to also know the difference between Lyrical Abstraction with lots of simplification and expression- Jackson Pollock, for example - (did anyone, other than Silvia, try Pollock painting ?) also essential viewing is the colour field artist, Mark Rothko.

And Geometric Abstraction, useful artist models include: Piet Mondrian and Kasimir Malevich.

If you get a handle on this topic, friends will be amazed at your genius and it should give you some impressive exam answers too.

What do we need to know?

Abstract art is not about the figurative, ( people, objects, places), more about ideas.

Often abstract painting is only about the physical act of making art, the viewer is therefore able to make their own interpretation about the work.

Remember Perceptual versus Conceptual reality? It is also essential here that you know the difference. Make sure you do.

Meantime, back at the action.......the factors for a changing NZ art scene:

During all that isolation and loneliness that the NZ landscape artists had been concentrating on, the rest of the world was speeding up with their new ideas for art.

Cubism came 30 years later to NZ, thanks to McCahon's Kauri images, but it wasn't well received. Eventually NZ got TV, colour art magazines from the USA and direct flights overseas. Progress. You'll be relieved to know that Aotearoa did catch up, eventually.

Here are the headline artists for the topic......

Colin McCahon and Week 4 Iconography homework - Elias Series

Ralph Hotere

Gretchen Albrecht plus her work we saw on our trip to Auckland City Gallery

Introduction to Modern New Zealand Art

Welcome back my lovelies, I hope this blog finds you refreshed and ready to take on the new challenges which lie ahead for us in Term 3.

It's time for a new divider in our Art History folder ready for our final topic: Modern New Zealand Art.

You'll all have a write on workbook for this term, but of course there will be hand outs too, so keep the hole punch at the ready Harriet.

This term, the blog posts will represent each section of the topic, therefore no weekly posts but instead, summaries of the work for each section.

I hope this will work for you, we can review the process as we go - let me know.

This post is a prelude to the topic - background research for CSI investigations.

What do we need to know before we get onto the exciting stuff?

Well, before the 1930s in New Zealand, artists were stuck in a 19th century rut.

Landscape was the favourite subject here in 'Godzone'. Based on the British style, it was perfect to record and idealise picturesque views to send back to the Mother Country, England.

Artists such as Goldie (not the Rapper!) and Lindauer (not the wine, Brooke) recorded the lifestyle and faces of significant Maori people, but their work was still designed for European tastes and illustrated Maori Chiefs as 'noble savages'.

European culture was seen as superior to Maori and no effort was made to recognise or celebrate the rich visual traditions of the indigenous people.

Painters were hanging onto traditional ways of working and had no real knowledge of the exciting world of Cubism, Abstraction and Expressionism which was all the rage in Europe.

Finally, during the 1930s and 40s NZ art critics began to demand greater attention to local issues and pictures about honest, rural life.

Of course, another factor was World War II, making this tiny country more nationalistic and patriotic. Thus, NZ Regionalism in art was born.

Our attention will be focussed on the following artists:

Rita Angus - her painting 'Cass' 1936, was voted NZs favourite in 2006

William (Bill) Sutton

Doris Lusk

Colin McCahon - he's the one to watch. Also take note of the fabulously exciting book by Charles Cotton, "Geomorphology of New Zealand". Colin McCahon, and his wife, received this as a wedding present, (better than a toaster I guess), and it changed the way McCahon was to observe and depict the land.

All these artists, along with Toss Woollaston develop their own individual characteristics but collectively, they represent a breath of fresh air to NZ art - Regionalism. Depictions of Isolation and Loneliness and most importantly, freedom from British traditions.

Extra information for your big brains.......

Also worth noting and 'Excellence' material information in a Context question, is the impact and influence of William Saunderson La Trobe.

In 1922, he began a scheme to encourage art teachers from England - not more of Mrs Gray I hear you groan- but wait, there's more....

La Trobe Scheme aimed to improve the cultural significance of NZ art, (of course, completely ignoring the traditions of Maori cultural history!).

The teachers he wooed to NZ fair shores brought new and exciting ideas like

Post Impressionism, the influence of Cezanne, Gauguin and plenty of expressive brushwork and dazzling colour.

The two key imports were: firstly Robert Nettleton Field and later on Christopher Perkins. Their work encouraged young artists to find their own methods of expressing what exactly made a NZ landscape - the use of local subject matter with symbolic meanings.

They also taught modern ideas of flattened space, strong outlines and simplified forms.

Both Toss Woollaston and Colin McCahon were profoundly changed as artists because of the La Trobe Scheme and in turn, their work has deeply impacted on the NZ artists we will be considering this term.

So there you go, a little extra gem of knowledge to use, when the going gets tough in a NZ art Context question.

Final Post for Term Two

Kia ora class, it's the final post for Term Two - what already? how will we cope?

Keep calm dear reader, this week and next are somewhat disrupted with Stage Challenge and therefore we are reverting to a little more individual research and independent work on 3.5.

Week 10, (that's the 21st June, onwards), sees us bidding farewell to Italy and waving enthusiastically to the start of the 20th Century to consider the changes that cubism and abstraction in Europe and the USA, bring to NZ Art -

(that's in Term 3 folks).

Meantime, back to manic Mannerism and 3.5, Investigate an art issue.

A few gentle reminders on due dates ( for your lesson):

Task One - 08.06.10

Task Two - 18.06.10

Task Three - 22.06.10

Final Submission 29.06.10, returned to you by me on 02.07.10

Resubmission - 20.07.10 ( Term Three , day 5)

By now, you have established your issue and have organised the works for you exhibition.

Remember your submission can be in a number of forms - power point, picture catalogue, written essay, detailed poster, a model of your art gallery etc etc. Just ensure each assessable task is clearly labelled and well organised - refer to your Task Sheet ( Student Instructions), or check with your teacher. Check out your art works at major galleries (online) and see how they do it and write the captions on the artists.

Here are some other tips:

• Add all sites, books and handouts to your bibliography as you go
• Use 'headers' and 'footers' to label your images correctly ( if you can, avoid hand writing your name on beautifully printed picture pages)
• Use quotes to help support your arguements/ point of view
• Use your CSI compare/ contrast knowledge to look at stylistic concerns ie Donna Velata versus Lady in Red Dress
• Context info ( the history) will help you to expand your issue for Merit and judge it's importance
• Examine the different points of view and have a reason for your opinion for Excellence
• Introduce new evidence or information to strengthen your case in Task 3 , also for Excellence

All this work will make you experts in this 1520 - 1600 period of erotic confusion. I hope you've had as much fun as I have - bring on the externals. We have nothing to fear - well done whanau.

Term Two, Week Seven

Last week we were thinking about the stylistic developments in Mannerism, all that twisting movement and ice cream colours -

with Pontormo's Entombment as a fantastic example.

This week our focus shifts to the issues surrounding this period

1520-1600.

We begin a four week quest to complete our final internal achievement standard -

3.5: 'Investigate an art issue' for another big 4 credits.

So, by 1523 Clement VII, ( the guy you wouldn't buy a used car from), becomes the second Medici Pope - following on from Leo X, the 'fat, lecherous pig' - Luther publishes a serious challenge to the Church: Stop the sale of indulgences and clean up your act, or else!

Needless to say, they didn't so Europe spiraled into 120 years of war.......starting with the Sack of Rome and Reformation.

Following directly on the heels of Luther was the Catholic Church's answer :

the Counter Reformation and Council of Trent.

Don't worry your pretty little heads about too much of this - your job is to know how and why the developments of Mannerism impact on the context, style and iconography of the art.

Meantime, have a clear idea about an issue, which for us is

a POINT of DISCUSSION, (see Mrs Weissing for a definition of issues!), relating to Mannerism that you will explore in your 3.5.

Artists in the frame this week:

Michelangelo: Medici Tombs and Last Judgement

Bronzino: Portraiture

Pontormo ( Bronzino's teacher) and Parmigianino

Ciao for now, see you in class and good luck with the research.

Bronzino and the Mannerist Portrait

The Protestant Reformation - Part 1

Term Two, Week Five and Six

Hold on to your hats - Mannerism is the journey and you're in for a bumpy ride.

In this period, artists question the perfection of the High Renaissance and a scholar/ monk from Germany, Martin Luther, challenges the corruption of the Catholic Church.

This period of history is known as the Reformation and ushers in more than a century of ferocious religious wars.

However, Catholicism proved capable of reinvention. The Counter Reformation follows shortly after and succeeds and represses much of the new Protestant ideals.

Whatever you believed, it was a scary time to live and Mannerist Art reflects this.

In the external exams Mannerism is ALWAYS used in comparison to the High Renaissance and a few well chosen phrases will ensure success in this area.

Term Two Week Four

Well, with 'Examine a Theory' behind us we can consolidate other aspects of our High Renaissance learning by refocussing on portraiture.

Our interests here lie only with Leonardo and Raphael - who both capture the character and personality of their models.
Remember the Early (or is that LOW, Andrea) Renaissance stuff-
all stiff and sideways , profiles like big nose?
With the new interest in Humanism, Art reflected the general celebration in the importance of the individual.
In class we'll work through the key images, many of which we started to cover at the end of Term One - check back through this blog at Leonardo's amazing paintings.

Our top 4 works this week are:

The Doni Portraits, another double whammy - trendy dude, Agnolo and the not so lovely Maddalena.

CSI detectives, which earlier works would you compare this pair to?

Coming in at Number Three - the gorgeous Donna Velata and all the gossip about Rahael's love life with Marhgerita Luti, the baker's daughter.

Next, at Number Two - the dapper Baldassare Castiglione, a one time mentor for Raphael and author of The Coutier.

And top of the pops this week, our particularly papal portraits:

Julius II ( aka warrior pope) and Leo X (the 'fat, lecherous pig' - nice).

Interestingly, Raphael painted lots about himself too. Not so much Leonardo, who only seems to have made one significant drawing.

Enjoy the work and prepare yourself for the madness that is Mannerism, coming your way next week.

Term Two Week Two and Three

Ciao to all my fellow philosophy students.
It was only this time last week you were scared at the prospect of Plato and now you can discuss his ideas without panicking. Well done.
Feast your eyes upon Raphael's School of Athens and imagine yourself, toga and all, discussing ideals or what to have for tea tonight!
This week we are cracking on with Neo Platonism.
Our focus is Task Two, working on our selected images - one Raphael and Michelangelo - due in Tuesday 4th May (that's next week), following that,
Task Three Evaluative Conclusion - due Friday 7th May.
In class we'll be watching some related film clips, make sure you add them to you bibliography.
Start to grasp to why and how Neo Platonism really appealed to these High Renaissance dudes. Make sure you take also research the patrons and scholars behind the Art, for example Ficino, (you need this for Task One).
One man who really sums up the whole intellectual and dignified vibe was Baldassare Castiglione, (1478-1592). We'll be learning more about him, his book "The Courtier" and just what appealed to Raphael when he captured his portrait.
Use our class research and your homework time to get to know the rest of the works, for this Achievement Standard too.
Try the virtual tours of the Sistine Ceiling,
plus the 3D/Second Life version. The amazing Stanze della Signatura and who's who in it - along with the rest of the works in that room,
(remember, 4 walls= 4 fresco ), also a great pod cast which is worth a listen.
Add to that Pieta, an ideal of motherhood, and an excellent discussion on this work. And finally, the Chigi Palace "love shack", home to Galatea by Raphael. Enjoy.

Term Two Week One

Ciao class, welcome to Term Two.
Is it just me, or does time fly when you're having fun?
This week we start our CSI detective work on the High Renaissance.
The High Renaissance is time when everything artistic reaches the absolute pinnacle of perfection, which only lasts a short time, (about 40 years - and that's not long when you're as old as me).
Our main focus will be Michelangelo and Raphael, with a little bit of lovely Leonardo and his later works, thrown in for good measure.
Of course, to add to the excitement we start working on our next Internal Achievement Standard, Examine a Theory and it's role in Art, for a whopping 4 credits -so that should equate to about 40 hours of work - yikes. Luckily, we'll be spending quite a bit of time on the topic in class and the work required will follow smaller deadlines leading up to the big kahuna.
Anyway, on with the week: Idealisation and the Influence of Antiquity.
This topic mainly centres around Rome and the Renaissance obsession with all things classical.
Hard for us to imagine, but by 15c all that was left of the ancient relics of Rome, was rubble; fallen buildings had been dismantled, sites were leveled off and built over the top. Even today wonderful mosaics and murals created 2000 years ago are being discovered through drains and construction sites.
Obviously the Renaissance celebrities and scholars wanted a piece of the ancient action and got to work rebuilding this glorious city, bank rolled by, you guessed it, the Catholic Church and a few wannabie families.
First on the list of to do's was rebuilding St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, home to the Pope. This was none other than Julius II "Warrior Pope"- not a man to be messed with and a lover of classical antiquity and art. It was his vision that turned the decaying city of Rome into a symbol of papal power and authority. He collected some rather lovely stuff along the way, including classical sculptures being unearthed in Rome.
There are three biggies you need to know, all of which he kept in the Vatican and were studied and copied by artists:
Roman copy of Greek original, from 4BC - Apollo Belvedere
Roman copy of Greek original, from 2 BC- Laocoon Group
and the Belvedere Torso from 1 BC

Other aspects we'll unearth in the next week include:
Plato and his theories, which were all the rage in the High Renaissance,
Cosimo de Medici and Marsilio Ficino who made Plato groovey,
and a movement known as Neo-Platonism .

Happy Holiday Lesson- Sunday 18th April 11.30-1.30

Hey, hey, hey. Hope you had a choccie fantastic Easter.
Thank you for joining me this holiday, to keep on top of WHTBD.
It seems a big ask, but you'll be pleased you did :-)
Enough talk, let's get down to business:
Firstly, we need to recap over the work covered on Early Renaissance portraits - mostly Leonardo's Mona Lisa and the rest of the crew, but also Piero della Francesca's Montefeltro double whammy - check back to Term One Week Eight and Nine for the images and links. We did also touch on the controversial Virgin of the Rocks 1483-1486 version and the 1495-1508 version, compare the two and at least have the visual differences clear in your mind. We will return to the images again at the start of next term.
New Learning for this session:
Leonardo: Last Supper and Adoration of the Magi
Paolo Uccello: Battle of San Romano (all three of them), St George and the Dragon, The Hunt, and his work on perspective.
On a slightly trivial note - here's a new way of looking at Uccello's St. George and the Dragon, written by Fanthorpe.

Holiday Viewing - Paolo Uccello

Private Life of a Masterpiece - Battle of San Romano (part 1 of 5). Check out the other 4 parts too, please.

Homework Viewing- Leonardo da Vinci

Private Life of a Masterpiece - The Last Supper (part 1 of 5). Check out the other 4 parts too, please.

Term One Week Ten Film Clip - Mona Lisa, why so famous?

Term One Week Nine

Kia ora kids
It's all down hill this week towards a chocolate filled Easter.
Make mine a Creme Egg!
For those back from camp with Ms Rogers and I, I trust you are well rested (and clean); as for the rest of you, I hope the extra time you gained at school was invested into 3.3.
Remember everyone, it's due this Tuesday, the 30th, in your Art History lesson.
So, down to business-
Firstly, we need to check we are all happy with the facts and notes we each have on Piero della Francesca. That includes covering the Montefeltro Portraits from the end of Week 8. If not, that's down to you to get that done.
This week, lovely Leonardo da Vinci.
The ultimate example of a Renaissance Man aka polymath: poet, inventor, scientist, painter, military engineer, singer and vegetarian.
During our three lessons together we'll be looking at the following works:
The Annunciation
Lady with an Ermine
Ginevra de Benci - obverse (front) and reverse ( back - duh!)
and herself Mona Lisa
Don't forget, it's important to keep making connections with the learning we have completed this term on Early Renaissance Art and everything new you'll grow to love in the topics to come.
Easy to recall, it all revolves around: Context, Style and Iconography (C.S.I.).
Anyway, have an eggcellent Easter - see you at the holiday lesson on Leonardo, completing portraiture and taking a close look at the famous Last Supper, plus the often overlooked Paolo Uccello.

Term One Week Eight

Welcome to a very short working week.
School camp begins, watch out Kai Iwi Lakes here we come!
The main consideration for us is progress with 3.3, Media and Process. This week we are completing our charts in which we compare, I repeat, COMPARE, each process.
In our lesson we'll also be looking at how to write those dreaded 500 words too for Task 3.
Ms Rogers and I will help you with that, don't stress Mattie.
Do remember, due date is next Tuesday (30.03.10) in your lesson, no exception.
So for the real learning......the stunningly beautiful Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca.
It's a real crowd pleaser, and surprisingly large for a tempera painting
(take note those who used it for their 3.3 study).
You need to make sure you understand about Piero's use of hamony and balance through the Golden Section in this work.
Also very significant, his use of Naturalism in the local landscape- a religious scene, but in Piero's back yard.
If we get any extra time we can begin to take a closer look at the famous double whammy - Duke and Duchess of Urbino - Big Nose and Battista.

Extra Homework, the ultimate Art History challenge. Let me know how many famous paintings you can spot.

Term One Week Seven

Well, this week the Biologists among us are away counting crabs, nice :-{)
The rest of us will be working on topics we had already started thinking about, last week.
Piero is still the man on everyone's lips. This week we'll turn our attentions to The Resurrection.
Make sure you watch the two parts from 'Private Life of a Masterpiece" for homework. I'll be questioning you all about it , so make some notes to help.
During lesson time, we'll be considering Piero's work on Foreshortening and Proportion and tying this together with Alberti and his clever ideas that rocked the painting world .
Don't forget that Venn Diagrams for 3.3 need to be ready for class this Friday. Let me know if you need help - not the night before - ehem Nicole!
Enjoy your week. See you in class - MrsG

Term One Week Seven - YouTube clips

Private Life of a Masterpiece: Piero della Francesca -
The Resurrection. Please watch both parts.

Term One Week 6 YouTube clips

Piero, the perfect artist and mathematician

Term One Week Six

Welcome to Week Six and more disruptions. This week Year 13 are out of classes all day on Thursday and I'll be teaching Ms Roger's class on Friday, so watch out Rhys and Jono!!!!

We're all working frantically on our 3.3 Examine Media and Process. Don't forget that the Task 1 flowcharts have got to be ready for class on Friday 12th - on 'post it notes' , stuck onto A3, is fine. Please let us know before then if you're having problems setting the work out - email me here or catch up after class. To help a lot more with the Fresco aspect of the assignment, we'll be watching how Michelangelo probably painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Here's what else we're covering this week.....................

Piero della Francesca and his painting The Flagellation. Not a nice topic but a very important painting, that's for sure. He's our main man for Week 6, picture and quote of the week too.

Piero painted this while living in Urbino and working for the Duke, Federico de Montefeltro. We'll find out a little more about old big nose and what made him so influential.

Remember that book from last week, Della Pittura ( or De Pictura for the boffins) ? Leon Battista Alberti was first to write down rules of linear perspective for artists to follow, and we'll be looking at his Rules of Perspective and ideas of Historia - how to make a perfect picture.

And lastly, a little more sexy mathematics - the Golden Ratio, aka Golden Section and phi -

Euclid, Fibonnacci and Pythagoras - the dream team.

What happens when numbers, art and architecture come together for Piero ?

See the YouTube clip to appreciate how Piero portrays 3D shapes on a 2D surface. Wowzer.

YouTube Clips from Week 4

Me again, just in case you still need too watch these for your Perspective Q&A sheet - and those of us with YouTube problems at school. Watch the one at the bottom first and the top, second- sorry, I'm just getting the hang of this, should have them the right way around next time.

Term One Week Five

Yes folks, it's Sunday night and time to write the blog for the coming week.

I'm excited to say we've collected some more followers along the way and can now view the blog at school too! Thanks Mrs Troath :-)

Hope you all enjoyed the Teacher Only Day on Friday and therefore a longer weekend; can you believe we're half way through the first term already ?

"Surely it must be time to make a start on an Achievement Standard", I hear you say.

Indeed it is and we'll get cracking with this in your first lesson this week.Hip hip hoorraaaay!!!!

Examine Media and Process, for 3 credits, is our first internal challenge this year.

Final submission date is: Week 9 - 30.03.10. In class we will make weekly deadline dates to complete and check each task, so that it's not so daunting.

We will be using some of what we have already learned and researching three Renaissance works to demonstrate how the materials and techniques the artist used, determined partly what the art looked like when they had finished. Big brush = big picture (duh).

Don't forget to use the links in Week 2 for Tempera and Oil painting and Week 3 for the History of Colour. In class we'll be watching a DVD about how frescos were painted, but here's two great links also.

By this Friday you will have chosen the 3 pictures you want to study and then you're good to go.

As far as the rest of this week's lessons are concerned, here goes.............

• Completion of the history of Perspective. Make sure you've watched last week's links because there's a Q&A homework on this.
• Applying Perspective to Masaccio's work The Holy Trinity
• Masaccio the master of storytelling in The Brancacci Chapel
• The role of Narrative Painting, specifically Masaccio's epic Tribute Money
  

So as you can see, busy, busy, busy. If you missed a key element last week (ahem, Brooke & Tamara), let me know and we'll get it fixed so you don't fall behind. Enjoy.

Term One, Week Four

Well, it's Sunday evening and it's time to write up the blog for the week.

Hello to our new followers, have you tried commenting on the lesson content yet?

Did you understand everything we covered in class last week? Let me know - Ms Rogers and I are happy to help if you're finding something in our classes puzzling.

Thank you to everyone for remembering my birthday and a special mention to Charlotte and Rebekah for sharing their chocolate with me :-)

Andrea, hope you had a good time at the Lakes, but still got your homework done !

I'm afraid it's another disrupted week with athletic finals ( go George!), a special assembly on Tuesday and Teacher Only day on Friday. Keep calm and we'll still be on top.

One final piece of "Housekeeping", we are still no further with handouts becoming available on the Student Server, so see your teacher if you've missed a handout, or the dog ate it :-(

OK, here's what we're covering in the 3 lessons this week ( roll on the drums please........)

Recap on the factors that contributed to the birth of The Renaissance

Giotto ( 1267 - 1337) and why he rocks - looking at his contribution to European painting

Who was Ptolemy? How do I pronounce his name & why does his map look so funny?

The background to Linear Perspective, (can we remember everything we learnt in Yr10 Graphics?), and it's impact on the Renaissance. It changed the way we viewed our world - maths is sexy - Big Ups Mrs Weissing !

Masaccio and The Holy Trinity at Santa Maria Novella and how his friendship with Brunelleschi is pivotal to the development of perspective.

The problems the Medici's were up against when they decided they should turn the city of Florence into anything as stunning as the original Rome of the Roman Empire. All that Classical learning and architectural knowledge was lost - how could they get it back? Toscanelli meets Brunelleschi and the rest is history. Painting The Baptistry - how it was done. The science of perspective demonstrated in painting.

If we have time: Introduction to the Brancacci Chapel. The most exciting visual experience in Italy, until blooming Michelangelo goes and paints the Sistine Ceiling.

Term One, Week Three - 15.02.10-19.02.10

A very exciting week, what with Valentine's Day yesterday and my birthday this Friday,(21 again), NZ Post are busy, busy, busy. Should you be thinking of a present - chocolate is ALWAYS a winner!

Big shout out to Silvia and Llewellyn who have become followers of the blog.

Where are the rest of the class I wonder?

Anyway, back to work. Again, there are some disruptions to lessons with all this blooming physical stuff. We're up against athletics: field and track events, plus Peer Mediation Training so we're covering only a couple of topics this week:

• Completing Media, Process & Techniques ( check back to week 2 for hyper links). Also check out this site about the history of colour.
  
• Checking our biblical knowledge - who's who in the Old and New Testament and how to spot them in a work of Art, (or in Hello! magazine)
• Background to the topic - where on a map is Italy? Why should we care about Constantinople and which supermarket aisle will I find it in?
• Early Renaissance embarking on a journey towards understanding the context of this period. I've called this topic: Disease, Misery, Politics, the Church, Religion & War. Not exactly a bundle of laughs, but at least the Art will be the light at the end of this very grim tunnel.

On a Housekeeping note, there have been a couple of minor changes to the 2010 Academic Planner. Internal Achievement Standard 3.4 begins Term 2 Week 1 and is due 10.05.10. Please make sure you have amended your planner accordingly. Have a great week.