This document provides a brief history of the relationship between words and images. It discusses how early written languages evolved from pictographs and ideograms. It then explains how during the Renaissance, words and art diverged as art focused on realistic depictions and literature used more abstract language. However, in the late 19th century, artistic movements like Impressionism, Expressionism, Dadaism and Cubism started incorporating ideas and concepts, bringing images and words back together. Modern art forms like comics, collages, and typographical art fully integrate words and images. The document concludes by having students create an image out of words by selecting inspirational figures and using related text to fill in a posterized photo template.

1. Words & Images A Quick Lesson in Art History Grades 11-12

3. What do you think of when you ponder the use of words and images together… in the same space? Take 15 minutes to research some examples on your laptop and write them down on a piece of paper…

4. How many of you first thought of… Newspapers? Magazines? Advertisements?

5. Nearly ALL of you!?!

6. Well that shouldn’t come as such a shock because you are absolutely correct ! Words and images are used together in all of those contexts. Though they are more of a commercial application, meaning the images are usually promoting people, places, products, and/or services.

7. But there are many other instances where words and images work together. Words & Images I love you, man! I love you too!

8. For example, how many of you thought of…

9. Written languages?! Translation: "Tutankhamun, ruler of On of Upper Egypt " and his throne name, "Nebkheperura"

10. That’s right…the earliest words in history were in fact, stylized images themselves! Aztec Glyph Mayan Glyph Chinese Character

11. As writing evolved, some languages still bore a slight resemblance to the images from which they came, but most came to represent only sounds and had lost all resemblance to their visual ancestors. sound sound sound

12. And that evolution is what caused the initial separation of Art Literature &

13. Words were Words.

14. And pictures were pictures.

15. The separation was illustrated greatly by the well known Renaissance artists such as Botacelli, DaVinci, Durer, and Rembrandt. All of whom painted with a focus on realistic resemblance.

16. This separation was also scribed by Renaissance writers such as William Shakespeare, whose prose is still hard for me to decipher without help from an English teacher! The language was more abstract, and the words themselves, far from pictorial.

17. Then in 1872, an artist named Claude Monet created Impression Sunrise

18. This Impressionist study of light and color gave way to the Expressionist expression of emotion… The Scream By Edvard Munch (1893)

19. … which led to the Dadaist protest against conformity… Fountain By Marcel Duchamp (1917)

20. … and the Cubist fascination with multiple viewpoints! Woman with a Guitar By George Braque (1913)

21. In the art world, the focus was drifting away from the resemblance of the Renaissance and more towards the exploration of meaning and the illustration of ideas…just like the abstracted use of words in Renaissance literature! "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

22. At the same time, written word was moving away from the abstracted language of the Renaissance, and moving towards a more direct conveyance of meaning…just like the pictures that focused on resemblance! Resemblance Ideas/Meaning Art Literature The two were headed for a collision once again!

23. As a result of this collision, came the use of together, in various modern artistic techniques. Words & Images

24. Compotier avec fruits, violon et verre . by Pablo Picasso (1912) C o l l a g e

25. Moulin Rouge: La Goulue By Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1891) Paintings & Prints

26. Atomic War! #3, Page 33 February, 1953 And more modern art forms like Comic Books !

27. Since the reintroduction of words to images in the 19th century, many artists today are still employing the two to creatively express emotions, meanings, and ideas. Words & Images I missed you, man! I missed you too!

28. Leslie Dill Small poem dress: The soul selects (1993)

29. Faith Ringgold Flag Story Quilt (1985)

30. and Robert Indiana

31. They all show us that words and images can work together!

32. Words can be used to enhance images. Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein (1963)

33. They can be incorporated into images. Charles Wilkin

34. They can even become the images! Typographical portrait of President Barack Obama by Gui Borchert

35. With that last realization in mind, we are going to create an image using only text! We are going to take words and make an image. We are going to illustrate how words and images can be as one!

36. Are you READY?!

38. 4) Research text that pertains to your chosen figure. 5) Use this text and a Sharpie marker to fill the gray and black areas of your picture, leave the white areas empty. 6) Vary text size, width, and spacing to create changes in value. 7) Vary text shape to define edges of figure.

39. Examples from last year Foundation Students

40. Examples from last year Foundation Students

41. Examples from last year Foundation Students

42. Helpful Resources http://www.lapopart.com/micrography.asp http://weburbanist.com/2009/05/10/the-art-of-words-15-creative-typography-artworks/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrography http://micrography.text.art.and.typography.popatrz.pl/ Let’s get started!

43. Works Cited McCloud, S. (1994). Understanding comics: The invisible art. Harper Collins Publishers: New York, NY. Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 13, 2009 from www.wikipedia.org.