art history

  Great Serpent Mound . Adams County, southern Ohio. Mississippian (Eastern Woodlands). c. 1070 C.E. Earthwork/effigy mound. The Great Serpent Mound in rural, southwestern Ohio is the largest serpent effigy in the world. Numerous mounds were made by the ancient Native American cultures that flourished along the fertile valleys of the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers a thousand years ago, though many were destroyed as farms spread across this region during the modern era. The Great Serpent Mound measures approximately 1,300 feet in length and ranges from one to three feet in height. Was erected by settled peoples who cultivated maize, beans and squash and who maintained a stratified society with an organized labor force, but left no written records.  Many native cultures in both North and Central America attributed supernatural powers to snakes or reptiles and included them in their spiritual practices. The head of the serpent aligns with the summ...

Abstract Expressionism (Late 1940s-1950s) First American avant-garde movement  Action paintings: artist drips or splatters paint onto a surface Color Field Painting (1960s) Lacks aggression of Abstract Expressionism  Relies on subtle tonal values; variations of a monochromatic hue  Pop Art (1955-1960s) Materials of the everyday world, mass popular culture, celebrities, reaction against Abstract Expressionism  Happenings (1960s)  act of performance initially planned, but involves spontaneity, improvisation, and audience participation Site Art / Earthworks (1970s-1990s)  Interacts with the environment 

Spiral Jetty. Great Salt Lake, Utah, U.S. Robert Smithson. 1970 C.E. Earthwork: mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water coil. Edge; intersection between land and water; dense with minerals; created opportunities for the land/water to meet each other; meant to be a piece that changed based on natural principles; Nazca lines; in nature; environmental issues, man and industry; art becomes part of the process of nature; meant to be regularly documented; sense of order to chaos; opens our eyes to the brevity of our lifetime.  Located in remote and inaccessible area; presence of bacteria creates red color; made with a tractor