FAH102H1 Study Guide - Final Guide: Lawren Harris, Victorian House, Community Areas In Chicago
1/9 1. WELCOME: THE CITY AS A WORK OF ART?
● “The city seen”: cities instrumental in development of art, theme of reflection within
artworks, increasing presence in human civilizations (urban). -- over 50% of the world’s
population now lives in cities
● Art is older than cities
● Earliest “cities” = when people shifted from hunting to agriculture
● New objects began to appear, i.e. clay pipe
● We can examine the history of art by examining how cities are depicted in art
● How has our notion of art been shaped by cities
○ Museums
○ Creation of field of art history
○ Urban elites have been using art/art possession to signal importance and social
status
● Art is fairly universal, but academic history isn’t → emphasis is usually on europe
● Degas, visit to a museum: ambiguity in woman’s facial expression, comment on rituals
associated with museum, presence of guidebook.
● Grey Day in Town - Lawren Harris (1923, reworked 1930s): Oil painting of several
victorian houses in Toronto. Cold and dark colors are used intentionally for mood-
prominent central house with colour patches, stylized, use of complementary colours. The
artist played with hue. Smooth forms and shading with snow. Composition divided by
dark horizontal fence, tonal gradation in sky, contrast between smooth snow and straight
lines in houses. The work is not realistic as movement, but realistic as the representation
of life of that time. Context: less prosperous, reworked in the beginning of the great
depression.
● Harris lived in this neighborhood, called “the ward”. Dilapidated, large immigrant
community area.
● You can observe qualities of artworks by comparing them, i.e. with:
● View of King Street - John Gillespie (1845): Point perspective. Rich and warm colors.
Realism as aesthetics, but the representation is in the way the the painter wants to show
the city. One point perspective is used in order to create an illusion that the street is
longer. Context: industrial, bustling economy
● Lawren Harris, Old houses, winter, 1919
● Harris’ work isn’t representational
● Harris was very interested in idea of Canadian identity and in transcendentalism (inherent
goodness of people and nature, people are at their best when self-reliant)
● Group of seven: very active after WWI. what does it mean to be canadian? Ways of
seeing canadian landscape. Important for creating myth of how canadian landscape
should be viewed. Determined to find imagery for canada. Highly stylized and idealized.
● Harris was also a writer. “Clear, replenishing, virgin north”. Problematic with
colonialism, but Harris spoke out against colonialism and was committed to “universal
brotherhood”, universal values
● Grey Day in Town used same imagery in snow drifts as in his large northern landscapes.
○ Same natural, spiritual myth of canadian identity
○ As much a part of canadian landscape as wilderness
○ Harris’ paintings reflect values, i.e. relationship to nature/landscape
● Bird Stone: Has an ambiguous shape and a smooth texture. Gives ideas about its time
● “Vision itself has its own history”: A quote by Heinrich Wölfflin.
1/16 2. BEGINNINGS
● Art existed before the cities, but emergence of civilization changed the concept of art: art
was a means for people to work through the surrounding environment
● Homosapiens were building symbolic tools. (such as engraved ochre 75000 BC) These
symbols didn’t have any function for defence or attack. It was for making mark.
● Handprint from Chauvet Cave (c. 30000 BC): Chauvet Cave is a Palaeolithic Cave.
Animal figures. Side view of animals.
● Village of Skara Brae, Scotland (c. 3100 BC): Eventually small settlements emerged.
Stone built neolithic settlement. First settlements developed because people started to do
agriculture around rivers, water sources. But permanent settlement also poses risks.
● Concentrated population gives more opportunity to develop technology
● Mesopotamia: between the tigris and euphrates. Dynasties came and went but cities
remained and grew.
● Excavations at Uruk: “first real metropolis”. Where Southern Iraq is today. 50000
residents. Bronze Age. Everybody needed to be developed in food production.
● Neolithic and bronze age overlap, similar definition
● Standard of Ur (c. 2600-2400 BC): An artifact measuring 22cm wide, 50cm long. We
don’t know what it was used for. Mosaic shell. Each level represents different social
classes. On the top left part, a ruler seems sitting. Even though he is sitting, he seems
bigger than others, which represents his statute. Side view. People are holding animals,
which shows that people have domesticated the animals, different from Chauvet Cave
paintings. It has a political message. Bottom part: working class/peasants. Middle part:
warriors. Third part: Upper class, rulers. Scale of human figures shows importance.
● Jar w spout & mosaic, uruk: vessels very valuable for trade and resources not readily
available
● Remains of Ziggurat, Uruk (c.3400 BC): “man-made mountain”. A temple higher than
any buildings, so that people can see it from everywhere, which made a connection to the
god. It also represents deity’s political authority.
● Fragment of temple, Uruk, 1500 BC: shows architectural ornamentation in clay bricks
● Ishtar Gate, Babylon (c. 600 BC): impressive gate in city wall. Blue bricks and animal
figures. Symbolizes the gods.
● Clay Map of Nippur (c. 1300 BC): oldest known city map
● Tablet with a fragment of the Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2000 BC): Literary style.
● Importance of writing to urbanism: emerged as a profession (scribes). You have to be
able to keep records to make laws, calendars, keep track of agricultural cycles. Literature
also emerges, i.e. epic of gilgamesh, mesopotamia. Connection between literature and
cities: identity of city always/often formed through language, idioms.
● Statue of Gudea of Lagash (c. 2100 BC): 90cm long. Expensive, long-lasting material:
diorite. Gudea was Governor of the city state particularly concerned with built
environment of lagash. His both statues are carved in the same pose; holding his hands in
a formal pose. His muscular body is shown. He was concerned about building temples.
He has the plan of the temple that he built on his lap. The statue was intended to be in the
temple. Body and chair covered with writing explaining the sculpture. Other statues of
gudea exist. posture=piety. Attention to 3D proportion, attn. To detail and subtlety.
Gudea is shown as the architect of the temple.
● Ruins of Persepolis (6th c. BC): Capital, ceremonial city. Relief carvings. East of
mesopotamia. Nomadic people that eventually became an empire: achaemenid empire.
Artificial capital constructed under Darius to impress visitors. Relief carvings in stone,
would have been painted. You would walk along the carvings. The central panel shows
the emperor darius. Similar motifs/poses to standard of Ur. also uses 3 tiers to show
society. Diagonal vs horizontal = spatial overlap (i.e. stairs)
1/23 3. THE IDEA OF THE POLIS
● Cities lasted longer than the empires.
● British museum: one of first museums, recalls arch. Styles of ancient greece, coincided
with neoclassicism & interested in collection of artifacts. Connected to enlightenment
thought: mvmt to social equality and democracy. Modern gov. Buildings built in greek
style bc democracy of ancient greece
● The Achaemenid Empire (early 5th BC): Very large empire. Also known as First
Persian Empire. Balkans to Indus Valley. Had a short Golden Age.
● Lots of conflict at greek-persian border: Greek cities at the time were independent city
states, bias towards small communities in greek culture. Greeks experiences sailors.
● Greeks defeated persians in battle of salamis=catalyst for classicism
○ Few years before, persians had trashed athens, destroyed temples, athens got
money from other city-states to re-build temples even better than before.
● Athens and Sparta were the most important city states of Persians, but used to be the total
opposites of each other.
● Athens: A city of art. Modern and cultural city. Most important city state. City run by
citizens, had written constitution possibly by aristotle
Document Summary
The city seen : cities instrumental in development of art, theme of reflection within artworks, increasing presence in human civilizations (urban). - over 50% of the world"s population now lives in cities. Earliest cities = when people shifted from hunting to agriculture. New objects began to appear, i. e. clay pipe. We can examine the history of art by examining how cities are depicted in art. How has our notion of art been shaped by cities. Urban elites have been using art/art possession to signal importance and social status. Art is fairly universal, but academic history isn"t emphasis is usually on europe. Degas, visit to a museum: ambiguity in woman"s facial expression, comment on rituals associated with museum, presence of guidebook. Grey day in town - lawren harris (1923, reworked 1930s): oil painting of several victorian houses in toronto. Cold and dark colors are used intentionally for mood- prominent central house with colour patches, stylized, use of complementary colours.
