• Two-Dimensional Media Wrap-up

    • Discussion Topic 7: The Medium is the Message URL

      Marshall McLuhan’s quote that “the medium is the message” helps us understand the frontiers and limits of the tools we use. Artistic mediums are not only extensions of our creativity but avenues that help define changes in scale. For example, the introduction of painting extends by leaps and bounds what drawing could do. 

      Using the art resources links below, find one example of each two-dimensional medium discussed in this subunit: drawing, painting, printmaking and collage. Write a short summary of how the nature of each medium dictates the expression of the artist using it. In other words, what makes each medium unique, and how does it limit or expand what the artist is able to do with it?

      Art Resources

      • ART 21: Includes interviews with major contemporary artists, studio visits and explanations of their work
      • Google Images: A comprehensive search engine for images
      • Artcyclopedia: Good general art site, mostly image links to museums:
      • Mark Hardin's Artchive: Great link with alphabetical listing of artists, mostly contemporary and historical European
      • Art History Links: An amazing collection of links specific to sites related to the practice of art history, many are written, not visual, information
      • Cities and Buildings Collection: Over 5000 architectural images maintained by the architecture department at the University of Washington
      • Web Gallery of Art: Good reference for lots of art history images
      • Saatchi Gallery, London: Cutting edge contemporary art, plus a site where any artist can post their work
      • The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC: Our national art museum
      • Seattle Art Museum
      • Museum of Modern Art New York: A treasure trove of modern art
      • Metropolitan Museum of Art: Extensive collection database from many cultures and time periods
      • Islamic art collection: An extensive collection of Islamic art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
      • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: An extensive digital collection with text information
      • Currier Museum of Art: A smaller museum in Manchester, NH with a fantastic collection, much of it online
      • Henry Art Gallery: The art repository of the University of Washington. An extensive image database and excellent search system
      • National Galleries of Scotland: Extensive collection of artwork from many cultures and
      • time periods
      • ARTstor: Nearly one million images here. For access to this site, please check with your campus library or public library
      • CAMIO: 95,000 images of all kinds. For access to this site, please check with your campus or public library
      • Smarthistory: Smarthistory.org is a free and open, not-for-profit, art history textbook. We use multimedia to deliver unscripted conversations between art historians about the history of art
      • Tibetan Book of the Dead: Literature and Artwork on Prayer, Ritual, and Meditation from the Religious Traditions of Tibet, India and Nepal. Special Collections Department at the University of Virginia Library
      • Day of the Dead Celebration: History and images from the Mexican “Dia de los Muertos” celebration.
      • Frank Gehry sketches: Initial sketches of building design ideas by architect Frank Gehry
      • African Art: Death and Rebirth: Sculpture images and text describing ritual beliefs from African cultures. Other themes included
      • Burke Museum: Artwork database from their ethnology collections. Administered through the University of Washington
      • All Together Now: A digital collaborative and interactive music project
      • AIDS Quilt Information Website
      • What is a Print?: Interactive tutorial on printmaking processes, with images. Created by the Museum of Modern Art, New York
      • Edvard Munch Museum: Image database for many of Munch’s paintings and prints
      • Nuxalk Sun Mask: Image and context for the Mask of the Sun from British Columbia Nuxalkculture
      • Bradshaw Foundation: Excellent source for images and information on prehistoric rock art, Cycladic figures, the Pyramids, ancient temples and geometric signs
      • The Art Story: Movements, Artists, Theory and the Progression of Art History
      • Francis Bacon Estate: A website devoted to the images and explanations of the important and idiosyncratic English painter
      • Mayan Temples: An excellent site for historical information about the Temples of Palenque in Mexico


    • Two-Dimensional Media Quiz
      This quiz is made up of short answer questions. We have tried to take into account as many various correct responses as possible, but because the quiz is automatically graded based on the specific wording of the response, some answers may be scored as incorrect even if very close to accurate. We will provide you with the default correct answer to compare with your response. Also note that unit assessments do not factor into your final grade for the course.