Chapter 16: Entertainment and

Visual Culture
Book Objectives
What are the basic concepts associated with visual culture?
How has architecture facilitated the performing and visual arts?
In what areas do the visual and performing arts overlap?
What forms of art are very close to entertainment forms?
What kinds of imagery have artists made that depict forms of entertainment?

Book Outline
Lecture Notes
Lecture Questions

Blackboard Objectives
Week 16

Content

Required Textbook Reading

Read Chapter 16.

Try to answer some of the following questions as you read this chapter:
o
o

What is a happening ?
Can you define the following: claymation, daguerreotype, camera
obscura, and animation?

Lecture 16

Art100 Quiz 16

Exam 3

Review the procedures for taking exams in the Syllabus section. You can take this exam
whenever you are ready. You should call the testing center first, however, to make sure
that it will be open long enough for you to complete the exam, and to make sure that the
network is functioning properly. You must take a photo ID and the appropriate Exam Pass
with you to the testing center.
Good luck on your exam!

Companion Site Assignment

Click on the link to 'Book Companion Site' for your textbook Edition - 2nd or 3rd. Select
current Chapter from the drop-down list and take Practice Quiz.
Go to this Student Book Companion Site for the 2nd Edition book.
Go to this Student Book Companion Site for the 3rd Edition book.

Book Outline

Practice Quiz
1. The Sioux Open Circle Dance symbolizes:
universe.

a unity of all things in the

2. The sport today that is most like the game played by ancient Mayan Ball
Players is:
soccer.
3. The improvisational techniques in Summerspace were a collaboration of
choreography with:
music and set design.
4. Popular forms of Japanese theater were:
Kabuki and Noh.
5. The Kanaga Masked Dancers are part of which community?
Dogon people of Mali, Africa
6. Which of the following may be relevant to the theme of "entertainment" in
art?
films
theater
museums
7. What is the approximate size of Central Park in New York City?
2 1/2 miles by 1/2 mile
8. Who designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York?
Frank Lloyd Wright
9. An early form of animation that combined sculpted figures with film
technology was:
claymation.
10.Toulouse-Lautrec created posters of which Parisian entertainer?
Jane Avril
11.
"Entertainment" means "diversion or amusement," but entertaining art
may be informative or provocative. True
12.
In the 2nd century, the Roman Colosseum was primarily used for
theatrical performances of Shakespearean tragedies. False
13.
A ball court at Chichn Itz was the site for a sport that culminated in
human sacrifice. True

14.The dancers depicted in the Egyptian tomb of Nebamun have conical forms
on their heads that contain perfumed ointment. True
15.Leyster's painting Boy Playing a Flute commemorated a master musician
during a stage performance for the Spanish king and queen. False
16.The blue beard of the bull's head on the Lyre from the tomb of Queen Puabi is
made from _________________ lapis lazuli.
17.Allen Kaprow's Household of 1964 was a temporary, improvisational approach
to art that is referred to as a _________________ happening.
18.In 1450 BC the Palace of _________________ Knossos in Crete was painted
with a scene of athletic Bull Jumping.
19.A Chinese _________________ palace courtyard is the setting for Chao Yen's
painting of Eight Riders in Spring.
20.An early form of Japanese puppetry was the "doll drama" called
_________________ bunraku.

21.

Graded Quiz 16
1. The Sioux Open Circle Dance symbolizes:
a unity of all things in the universe.
2. Who designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York?
Frank Lloyd Wright
3. An early form of animation that combined sculpted figures with film
technology was:
claymation.
4. Allen Kaprow's Household of 1964 was a temporary, improvisational approach
to art that is referred to as a:
happening
5. Judith Leyster's painting Boy Playing a Flute
was for the enjoyment of him and his middle class family.
6. The posters of Toulouse-Lautrec were influenced by
Japanese prints
7. A large ball court at Chichn Itz was the site for
a sport that culminated in human sacrifice.
a game played by ancient Mayans similar to soccer
re-creating the mythical battle between light and darkness
8. Popular forms of Japanese theater were:
Kabuki and Noh.
9. The modern spa had its origins in the Roman
baths
10.Deconstructivist architecture does not have
a unified whole

Study Guide
Online Study Guide Chapter 16
And Visual Culture

This chapter will look at the overlapping categories of art and entertainment. Art
entertains by diverting or amusing us. Art entertains by capturing our attention and
causing us to hold an idea in our minds.

Theaters, Museums and Opera Houses

The design of houses for the arts must function well. The audience must be able to see
the art clearly with comfort. The venue must conform to the aesthetic sensibilities of the
audience. The exterior should reflect the kind of entertainment that takes place inside.

Figure 16-1, Theater at Epidauros, Polykleitos, Greece, c 350 BC.

Dionysian dramas were performed at this acoustically perfect amphitheater. These
performances lasted for hours and featured a chorus, masked actors, musician, and
elaborate scenery.
1. Theater at Epidauros, Polykleitos on Great Buildings Online

Chapter 4 provided more in-depth discussion for deriving meaning, or

multiple meanings, from artworks.

Figure 16-2, Opera House, Joern Utzon, Sidney, Australia, 1959-1972.

The building of the Sydney Opera House stretched the limits of the available construction
technology at the time, resulting in ballooning costs, delays, and public controversy.

The"organic" architecture of its arching shell was made possible through the invention of
reinforced concrete.
1. Great Buildings Online: Sydney Opera House

Figure 16-3, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York City, USA,
1943-1959.
The flowing lines of organic architecture is demonstrated again in Wright's controversial
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Visitors begin at the top level and walk down a ramp
spiraling around the perimeter of a circular interior.
1. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
2. A view of the Guggenheim in winter
3. Guggenheim Museum
4. Guggenheim Museum Interior

The British Museum (Fig 6.8, page 127) is an example of a nineteenthcentury house for the arts built to resemble a Greek temple.

For a view of the inside of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, see Jenny
Holzer's installation Untitled (Selected Writings) in Figure 12.27 (page 326)

Other Visual and Performing Art Environments

Art can be paired with religious and recreational spaces.

Figure 16-4, Frank Gehry. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California. USA, 2003.
1. More on the Walt Disney Concert Hall
Figure 16-5, Reconstruction model of the Baths of Caracalla, Rome, 211-217 AD, model.
All Romans enjoyed relaxing at bathhouses. This luxurious bath consisted of heated
pools, heated air, massages, art galleries, a library, restaurants, gymnasiums, and special
events.
1. Images of Baths of Caracalla
2. More Images of Baths of Caracalla

In the sixteenth century, the Greek sculpture Laocoon and His Sons
(Fig. 13.16, page 348) was discovered buried in the ruins of an
imperial Roman bath.

Figure 16-6, Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, New York City, USA.
1857-1887.
One the finest urban parks designed to work with the existing landscape is New York's
Central Park. An oasis in the middle of one of the most densely populated cities in the
world, the park houses museums, zoos, a skating rink, a theater, public art, and sports
facilities.
1. Central Park Online

The formal gardens of European palaces like Versailles were one

inspiration for large urban parks in the United States. See Art and History
in Context on page 361.

Figure 16-7, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone National Park, Japan, opened in 1969.
This open-air museum incorporates art into the surrounding mountain scenery to create a
spectacular viewing experience.
1. Hakone Open-Air Museum
2. More Images of Hakone Open-Air Museum
Figure 16-8, Las Vegas, 2004. Sunset, elevated view. Photo by Adam Jones.

1. Las Vegas Skyline

Sport Sites

Sports in many cultures have had religious or political significance. Sport sites provide a
framework to house sporting events.
Figure 16-9, Colosseum, Rome, 70-82 CE.
The Colosseum was built over emperor Nero's private lake. All events were free to the
public, which included chariot races and various blood sports.
The circular arena seated 50,000 spectators. It was adorned with statues, marble, tile,
and bronze adornments. A huge cloth canopy shielded spectators.

1. Great Buildings Online: Colosseum, Rome

2. Images of Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)
3. Model of Colosseum Interior
4. Roman Colosseum - Digital 3D Model

Figure 16-10, The Great Ball Court, Chichn Itz, Mexico, Mayan-Toltec cultures, 11-13th
centuries, stone, 567' x 228'.
Mayan ball games, forerunners of contemporary soccer, recreated the mythical battle
between light and darkness. A player or an entire team was sacrificed at the game's
conclusion. Reliefs illustrating human sacrifices decorated the walls of the court.
1. Mexico: Great Ball court
2. The Ball Court at Chichn Itz

The same qualities of grandeur and spectacle seen in the Colosseum and
The Great Ball Court are present in many sports arenas today, including
the Olympic Stadium at Munich (Fig. 2.43, page 56)
Sport Imagery
Figure 16-11, Ball Players, vase painting, Mayan Culture, Mexico, 11-13th centuries.
Ball Players show Mayan athletes wearing protective padding and elaborate costumes.
1. Mayan Vases of the Classic Period
Figure 16-12, Acrobat, Tlatilco culture, Mexico, 1500-500 BC, clay.
Acrobat was discovered among other sculptures buried in Tlatilco graves. The lines of his
limbs direct our eyes to the contortionist's large and detailed face.
1. Another Tlatilco acrobat

Figure 16-13, Bull Jumping, palace complex at Knossos, Crete, c 1550-1450 BC, wall
painting, 24 1/2" high.
Bull Jumping may refer to Minoan legends about the minotaur, a half-bull, half-man beast.
1. The Palace of Knossos

Music and Dance Imagery

Images of dance and music in art reveal information about a culture's religious and
political environment.
Figure 16-14, Harp Player, Cycladic culture, c 2500-1100 BC, marble, approximately 14" x
3".
Sculptures of musicians found in Cycladic graves indicate a positive outlook on the
afterlife.
1. Harp Player, Cycladic culture
2. Male Harp Player of the Early Spedos Type

Figure 16-15, Musicians and Dancers, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, c 1400
BC, wall fresco, 12" x 27".
A tomb painting shows a celebration of the dead. Unlike the stiff formality of royal
portraits, images of common people are more relaxed and animated.
1. View a variety of female musicians from Egyptian wall paintings

Figure 16-16, Boy Playing a Flute, Judith Leyster, Dutch, 1630-35, oil, 28 1/2" x 24 1/4".
Holland's predominately middle-class population enjoyed music as an amateur, domestic
entertainment.
1. Judith Leyster. Boy Playing a Flute
2. Artist Profile: Judith Leyster

Figure 16-17, Bunraku performance on stage, Japan, c 20th century.

Bunraku performances involve: puppets controlled by three puppeteers in full view of the
audience, a musician, and a singer-narrator who provides the voices and commentary.
The master puppeteer's face is visible while assistants are hooded. Like kabuki theater,
the stories are take from Noh dramas.
1. Chief puppeteer from the National Bunraku Theater of Osaka
Figure 16-18, A costume in The Lion King, Julie Taymor, designer and director, New York
City, USA, opened mid 1990s.
The Broadway play is influenced by Bunraku puppetry. The costumed puppeteers remain
visible onstage, creating seamless human/animal characters.
1. Information about Julie Taymor and her costumes
Figure 16-19, Jane Avril, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paris, France, 1899, lithographic
poster, 22"x 14".

Toulouse-Lautrec's posters advertising cabarets blurred the boundaries between fine art
and graphic design. He favored flat colors, simple shapes, and a dynamic use of negative
space and fluid contour lines. He was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints. (See also
figure 1.2)
1. Jane Avril

Figure 16-20, Summerspace, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Robert Rauschenberg,
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA, 1958.
This collaborative improvisation dance performance was inspired by abstract painting and
the theory of relativity. Rauschenberg based his set and costume design on Pointillist
painting.
1. American Masters: Merce Cunningham

Jackson Pollock's Lucifer (Figure 13.33) is an example of an abstract

painting without a single, fixed focal point. For a Pointillist painting, see
Georges Seurat's La Grande Jatte (Figure 14.29)
1. View another image of Jackson Pollock's Lucifer

Figure 16-21, Household, Allan Kaprow, performance "Happening", May 1964.

Kaprow advocated art as part of daily experience. He organized loosely scripted
performances called"Happenings." In Household, participantswho were also audience
membersenacted an ambiguous allegory about gender relations. Figure 16-14 shows
women licking jam off of a car.
1. Allan Kaprow | Happenings <1964>
2. Allan Kaprow,"Should Art Be Fun?"

Art, Musical Instruments, And Dance

Instruments entertain us with music, and are often beautifully crafted art objects.

Figure 16-22, Lyre, soundbox from tomb of Queen Puabi, Ur, Iraq, c 2685 BC, wood, gold
and shell inlay, lapis lazuli, 5'5" high.
This lyre was found in an imperial tomb. Bearded bulls symbolize royalty.
2. Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur

Figure 16-23, Asmat Hand Drum, Papua, New Guinea, c 19-20 centuries, wood, lizard skin,
fiber, beads, 37 1/2" high.
Only male musicians could play this small hand drum. The drum head is covered with
lizard skin. The wooden body is decorated with symbols related to Asmat ancestors and
headhunting rituals.

1. Explore Asmat shields and other objects

2. Asmat Drums
Figure 16-24, Open Circle Dance, performed by Keven Locke, 20th century, Sioux culture,
USA.
As part of an annual spring festival, the Hoop Dance is performed by a dancer
manipulating 28 hoops to express the cycles of change and harmony of the cosmos.
1. View Keven Locke performing the Hoop Dance in a quicktime movie
Figure 16-25, Kanaga Masked Dancers, Dogon culture, Mali, Africa, 20th century.
Religious ritual, costumes, and dance combine during performances by the male dance
society called the"awa." These performers usually work at funerals, controlling the
dangerous forces unleashed by a death in a community.
1. A beautiful image of the Dogon dancers

Film, Television, and Cartoons

The motion picture melded photography with electricity, projecting a series of still images
onto a screen to create the illusion of movement. In contrast to theater, films could be
shot practically anywhere, and frames can be edited to show multiple perspectives.
Television broadcasts moving images and sound into our very homes. Its programs
evolved from and eventually replaced many types of radio programming.
Mass media technology, in its short history, has profoundly affected art and
entertainment.

The earliest form of animation grew out of flip books. Animated features began to gain
widespread popularity during the 1930's. The development of computer animation has
opened up new possibilities and challenges in the field.

Nam June Paik's multi-imaged Electronic Super-highway (Fig. 3.38, page

77) is a good example of art that refers to entertainment technologies.

An example of Eadweard Muybridge's sequential images, which are early

experiments to capture motion with photography, is Handspring, a Flying
Pigeon Interfering (Fig. 13.19, page 351)
1. Eadweard Muybridge's Collotypes

Figure 16-26, Frank King. Gasoline Alley, USA, 1931. Newspaper Sunday page, detail,
published May 10, 1931. 23 x 17.

1. Gasoline Alley Online

Figure 16-27, Gone With the Wind, MGM film, 1939, starring Clarke Gable and Vivian
Leigh.
This Civil War melodrama included extensive sets, a huge cast of performers, and an
expressive use of color.
1. Gone With the Wind: Online Exhibit

See the Restoration section in Chapter 6 for more information on the

restoration of Gone With the Wind.

Figure 16-28, I Love Lucy, television video, c 1950-60s. CBS Entertainment, A Division of
CBS, Inc.
The situation comedy, or"sitcom" has become an enduring form of television
programming. The broad physical comedy of I Love Lucy has made the antics of an

eccentric housewife one of the best-known television series seen around the world.
1. I Love Lucy, television video
2. Lucy and Desi, from I Love Lucy
Figure 16-29, Matthew Barney. Cremaster 1: The Goodyear Chorus. Color print in selflubricating plastic frame. USA, 1995.
1. Matthew Barney on PBS.ORG
Figure 16-30, Hayao Miyazaki, Still from Spirited Away, Japan, 2002. Feature-length
animated movie.

1. Spirited Away at IMDB.com

Glossary
Glossary
Chapter 16
amphitheate
An oval or circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats.
r
animation

a series of drawings that vary slightly from one to the next, so that the
figures within the drawings appear to move.

arabesque

Intricate interlocking surface decorations usually of spiral forms, knots, and

flora. There is no suggestion of human forms in the designs.

bay

A division of interior space that is usually defined by architectural supports,

such as columns or buttresses.

bitumen

A natural, tar-like substance.

claymation

A method of animation using clay figures in place of drawings.

forum

A central, open space surrounded by public buildings in ancient Roman

cities.

Happening

An art event that is planned by the artist and that may be performed
spontaneously and solicit participation of its audience. This art form was
invented by Allan Kaprow.

Organic
architecture

A style of American architecture developed by Louis Sullivan and Frank

Lloyd Wright that incorporated flowing natural forms in its design.