Media Arts: History and Theory

camera obscura Albrecht Durer Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci Renaissance humanism fresco Petrarch Jan van Eyck one point perspective Modernism wealthy merchant Avant-garde Giotto Fauvism Picasso Cubism abstract painting Greenberg photographers Nicephore Niepce Jules Marey Muybridge semiotics Gutenberg

5 Big Takeaways: Humanism changed everything – People started to believe that humans could do amazing things through learning and effort, not just through religion. Artists started showing real life – They painted regular people and nature, not just holy figures. It felt more personal and relatable. Linear perspective made art pop – This technique made paintings look 3D. It was like the HD of the Renaissance. Art was about beauty and brains – Artists like Alberti thought that great art should be smart and beautiful. He even wrote “how-to” guides for other artists. The Medici family helped make it all happen – These rich guys in Florence paid artists to create amazing stuff. Without them, we might not have seen such a huge boom in art. Discussion Question: Do you think people today focus more on being realistic and true to life in their art, or is modern art more about being different and creative, even if it’s not “realistic”?

This week’s lecture was all about the Renaissance, and wow—it was a total improvement for art, science, and learning in Europe. Before this, most art was just about religion and didn’t look very realistic. People were painted flat and stiff, often floating in golden backgrounds like religious cartoons. Then things started to change. People like Giotto , Leonardo da Vinci , and Michelangelo started painting more lifelike people. They used something called linear perspective , which is a fancy way of making flat pictures look 3D. That’s how buildings and roads in paintings started to look real. The big idea of the Renaissance was Humanism , which means focusing more on people and what humans are capable of—not just what religion says. A dude named Petrarch kicked that off by saying we should learn from the past and that humans have big potential. Artists started getting noticed too. Before, they were seen as just workers. But during the Renaissance, they became stars, like Brunelles...

Cubism is an early 20th-century style in art in which perspective with a single viewpoint was abandoned and use was made of simple geometric shapes.  When you first look at my piece of art that consists of cubism, it looks confusing but there is a story behind it. If you look closely in the colored region that consists of sharp shapes, you will see four x's, which each represent one absence in this class. Below the 4th x, there is an F, which represents failure in the class, it in the place where the 5th x would be. To the right of the F there is a region made up of only circular shapes and no color. Directly to the right of the F there is a bunched-up cluster of circles that are meant to depict a pair of glasses with eyes watching the F. There is also a nose, hair, and mouth if you look close enough. This is meant to depict you, the professor the class who is watching out for that 5th absence.  https://youtu.be/eb-TQNl-lFU?si=4jVwsO_Vtmdy20tF

In class this week, we learned a lot about Native American culture and how they used storytelling to pass down their beliefs, history, and values. Long before writing things down, Native Americans used oral stories to teach younger generations how to live off the land, respect nature, and remember their ancestors. These stories weren’t just for fun—they taught life lessons and helped the community bond. Native Americans believed in something called animism , the idea that everything in nature—like animals, trees, the sun, and even rocks—had a spirit. Their religion was deeply tied to nature, and they believed everything was connected. They also believed in a creator, a spiritual world, and even an afterlife, which shows some similarities to Christianity. Storytelling was like their early form of performance. It included dance, music, and rituals done outside. These performances had purpose—like asking for a good harvest or thanking nature. One example is the Buffalo Dance, which they b...

This week’s lecture was like going on a time-travel trip through theatre history. We started with Baroque architecture—super fancy buildings with big domes and dramatic designs. The Catholic Church used this style to impress people and draw them back during the Protestant Reformation. St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is one of the best examples of this, and its dome even inspired the U.S. Capitol Building! Then we moved into Baroque theatre. The Cesky Krumlov Theatre (built in 1682) was mind-blowing for its time. It had hidden trap doors, special effects, and a super detailed stage setup. It even had elevators for props and actors—kind of like early stage magic. Opera also became huge. Back then, there were no microphones, so singers trained for years to project their voices across big theatres. Baroque opera was all about showing off, with crazy costumes, huge sets, and dramatic music. And yes, it was over the top, but that was the point—people wanted a show. Later, artists like Cathy Bar...