Sketchbook Activity

Art History - Mesopotamian 3500 b.c. – 539 b.c.

Mesopotamian (3500 b.c.–539 b.c.) Warrior art and narration in stone relief 
Standard of Ur, Gate of Ishtar, Stele of Hammurabi's CodeSumerians invent writing (3400 b.c.); Hammurabi writes his law code (1780 b.c.); Abraham founds monotheism
 

• The art consisted of warrior art and stone relief work. These are slabs of clay that were used as architectural elements like wall facings. 

• On these sculptures, there were names of rulers, sort of like hieroglyphic inscriptions. Many rulers that were carved into these slabs are on different monuments. 

• These hieroglyphics show their right to rule and other matters like their power. 

• There have also been examples of the carved pieces being used sort of like a timeline or a narrative scene. These were also used for tombs. 

Write 3-5 sentences on how you would describe this Art Movement.

Lecture & Vocabulary

Medium:

material or technique an artist works in; also, the component of paint in which the pigment is dispersed.

Definition:

(noun) - In art, "medium" refers to the substance the artist uses to create his or her artwork. For example, the medium Michelangelo used to create David was marble, Calder's stabiles employ painted steel plates and Duchamp's infamous Fountain had porcelain as its medium.

Dry media  - Media free of liquid

Wet media  - Media in a liquid state

Mixed media  - The use of more than one medium in artwork

Watercolor paints  - Paint that consists of transparent pigments in a medium of water

Traditional drawing media

Airbrush, Acrylic paint, Chalk, Charcoal (soft or hard), Coloured pencil, Conté, Crayon, Gouache, Graphite (can be pencils which are small or large sticks similar to charcoal), Human finger (with ink or paint), Marker, Oil paint, Pen and ink, Pencil, Sand, Tempera, Watercolor

Underdrawing:

preliminary drawing that lies under the final painted or inked image.

Underpainting:

the preliminary coats of paint in a painting that render the basic outline before the final paint layers are added to complete the work.

Life Drawing & Still Life

Life drawing:

drawings of a human figure. Usually of nude figures so that the artist can understand how the muscles look and how light, tone and shadow reflect around the body.

Still life:

a painting or other two-dimensional work of art representing inanimate objects such as bottles, fruit, and flowers. Also, the arrangement of these objects from which a drawing, painting, or other art work is made.

Portrait:

a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person.

Landscape:

a painting, drawing or photograph which depicts outdoor scenery. They typically include trees, streams, buildings, crops, mountains, wildlife, rivers and forests.

Sign-Out Activity