Student 22 Exam I Spring 2001

Group I Essays: Color

Artists use many techniques when creating a masterpiece. One of these techniques they use is color. From visual to musical, all artists use color in some way. Color is an extremely important elements in art; therefore, it is necessary to understand what color is and what it does. Color is a technique used by artists to convey feeling, evoke an emotional response, or represent a thought or an idea.

One artist who used color in all three of the ways mentioned above was Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard was a religious visionary and used art work to convey those visions. In the artwork of Hildegard, colors conveyed many feelings. Blue conveyed stability, warmth, and calm, while orange conveyed a sense of movement. Also, Hildegard used complimentary colors such as red and orange and purple and blue in the picture "The Cosmic Egg". The use of complimentary colors creates dramatic response in the viewer. Hildegard used color to symbolize religious concepts as well. Red was used to convey the Holy Spirit, while white represented purity.

Color is also representational in Yoruba beadwork. The Yoruba used colors to display personality characteristics. There are three main groups of Yoruba colors: fun-fun, pupa, and dudu. Fun-fun colors are the icy cold colors, such as white, pale yellow, and pale blue. These colors represent an introverted aspect of personality. Fun-fun colors represent a person who is reserved and cool. not easily excitable. Pupa colors are the fiery colors such as red, orange, deep blue and deep purple. These colors stand for outgoing vivacious people. These are passionate, exciting colors. The last group of colors, dudu, are the earth colors. Browns and dark greens are found in this category. They represent a love of nature, a oneness with the outside world. Yoruba bead workings, with their great color and meaning, provide an excellent example of the use of color to represent an idea or thought.

Not only is color used in visual art, it can be found in music. There are two main ways of expressing color through music -- consonance and dissonance. Consonance is harmonious and fairly easy to listen to. Major consonance is light and upbeat. Major consonance is represented by analogous colors. A good example of major consonance is the "Harp Etude." Minor consonance, which involves triads of color, is more dark and somber, as in Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." Dissonance, however, is not so easy to listen to. Dissonance involves complementary colors and is very choppy and jarring.

All in all, color is one of the most useful techniques in art. Artists can use color to portray emotion, to get a desired response, or to symbolize an idea or concept. Color adds flavor to art; without color, art would be bland and emotionless.

Group II essays

What is beauty? What is art? These are two questions each of which can be addressed in various ways. Throughout time, different ideas and thoughts have sprung up around these questions. to the ancient Greeks, in order to be considered art, an object had to serve a social function. The greater the function a work served, the more beautiful the work of art. Egyptians felt the same way. Artistic merit was defined by usefulness and purpose. This view of relating function with art is called functionalism. According to functionalism, art is something that serves a purpose.

The Cro Magnon people of France were the first artists in history. Nor only did they draw pictures, they exemplified functionalism. The pictures drawn on cave walls, called Cave Art, served a purpose. They told stories of creations and stories of the times, but most importantly, they were supposed to be magical or powerful. The Cro-Magnon people were hunters. Therefore, their livelihood depended on a good hunt. To insure good fortune in hunting, they created art to symbolize this good fortune. This technique was the basis for all functionalism to come.

The second example of functionalism can be found in Egypt. The pyramids were designed with a purpose in mind. Ancient Egyptians believed that all pharaohs had a living ka -- they were all considered divine. Therefore they needed a place for the spirit to reside, for the body to live after death. After all, a spirit can't get to the heavens without help. For this purpose, the pyramids were created. They were designed as stairways to heaven. Also, they were used in religious rituals, such as the pharaoh's ceremony, in which the gods through the dead pharaoh's body, fertilize all o Egypt.

The pyramids weren't the only works of art used for a purpose. Mosques and cathedrals also serve a purpose. Mosques, part of the Islamic religion, serve as houses of prayer. Therefore, because they have such a noble purpose, they are decorated greatly on the outside. They have beautiful calligraphy displaying passages from the Qur'an. Also important to Islamic people are minarets. These tall towers serve as a reminder to pray. Five times a day someone will enter the tower and sing beautiful chants to remind everyone it's time to pray.

Cathedrals, also used for religious purposes, are part of the functionalist view. Cathedrals, whose name comes from the Latin word "cathedra", meaning seat of the bishop, were created to serve as heaven on earth. Designed as places of worship, places that displayed God's glory and majesty, these temples had a noble purpose as well.

According to functionalism, if a work has no purpose, it is meaningless. However, if a work serves a high purpose, it is a great piece of art. For this reason, cave art, the pyramids, mosques, and cathedrals, all of which serve a noble purpose, are great works of art.

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