The Story of Art (chapter 28)

The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich (September 16, 2011) Chapter 28 A Story without End (The triumph of Modernism)   A. Some Quotes for Consideration (after filling in each blank)   1. (p. 602-603) In France this concentration on the mark or blot left by the brush was called tachisme, from tache (blot). Most of all it was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-56) who aroused interest with his novel ways of applying pint. Pollock had been captivated by Surrealism, but he gradually discarded the weird images that had haunted his paintings for exercises in abstract art. Becoming impatient of conventional methods, he put his canvas on the floor and dripped, poured or threw his paint to form surprising configurations, figure 393. .... Pollock has thus been hailed as one of the initiators of a new style known as '(     ) painting' or Abstract Expression‎ism. 2. (p. 611-617) In a certain sense the new interest in the history of art is in itself a consequence of a great many factors which have changed the (      ) of art and artists in our society and made art more fashionable than it had ever been in the past. .... in conclusion to list some of these factors.   ⑴ everybody's experience of progress and change ⑵ the development of science and technology ⑶ The third element may seem to contradict..... For art not only wants to keep step with science and technology, it also wants to provide an (     ) from these monsters. .... Art seems the only haven where capriciousness and quirks are still permitted and even treasured. ⑷ the idea of self-expression‎ ⑸ It is true that ultimately the artist who also needs an intermediary, the (     ) who shows an promotes his works. Needless to say, this remains a problem; but all the influences discussed so far are likely to work on the dealer even more than they work on the critic or the artist. ⑹ art teaching; Today we use the term 'child art' as a matter of course without even realizing that it contradicts all the notions of art held by previous generations. ⑺ the spread of photography as a rival to painting ⑻ there are large parts of the world where artists are forbidden to explore alternatives. ⑼ even the eagerness of the public for (       ) and its responsiveness to the whim of fashion add zest to our lives. It has stimulated inventiveness and an adventurous gaiety in art and design. .... The new tolerance, the readiness of critics and manufacturers to give new ideas and new color combinations a chance has certainly enriched our surroundings, and even the rapid turnover of fashions contributes to the fun.   3. (p. 618) Certainly the 'tradition of the new' that had maintained such a firm hold on twentieth-century art had not weakened in the intervening period. But for that reason it was sensed that the Modern Movement had become so universally accepted and so respectable that it was by now 'old hat'. Surely it was time for another turning of the tide. It was this expectation that crystallized in the new slogan of 'Post-Modernism'. ... But now, of course, we live in a pluralist world where often the most advanced, being probably Post-Modern, is likely to look the most (      ) and retrograde. ... The term Post-Modernism wad introduced into the discussion in 1975 by Charles Jencks, a young architect who was tired of the doctrine of (       ), which was identified with modern architecture.   4. (p. 630) In August 1972, a pair of figures, dating no doubt from the fifth century BC, were fished out of the sea near the village of Riace, Italy, figures 408, 409. The life-size bronzes of two heroes or athletes must have been carried off from Greece on a ship by Romans and were probably jettisoned during a storm. ... their appearance suffices to convince us of their artistic quality and their impressive vigour. There is no mistaking the mastery in the modelling of these muscular bodies and these virile bearded heads. The care with which the artist has rendered the eyes, lips and even teeth in other materials, figure 407, might have shocked those lovers of Greek art who always looked for what they called the 'ideal', but like all great works of art there new finds refute the dogmas of critics, and show triumphantly that the more we (       ) about art the more likely we are to go wrong.   5. (p. 613-614) the creation of what has become as his 'terracotta army' ..... these images of soldiers were made more lifelike by the application of color, traces of which are still visible, figure 412. Yet all this skill was not intended to arouse the admiration of us mortals. It was to serve the purpose of that self-appointed superman who probably could not bear the thought that there was one enemy whose power he could not break ― (       ).