What is Style? Tempe Center for the Arts Activities by Mary Erickson, Ph.D., with Arizona art teacher Vivian Spiegelman

Style is a word we can use to describe how a group of things look or sound alike. These three pairs of shoes have different styles.

We can group items by style, such as music, shoes, dancing, hairdos and even toy cars and trucks. Which cars have a racing style?

Even though these four cars all look different, they all have a racing style. They are all long, low and streamlined.

Traditional buildings in different parts of the country have different styles. Log House in Illinois Huron Indian Longhouse in Michigan Cliff House in Arizona Sod House in Nebraska

Cars from different time periods have different styles.

Some styles are typical of a place or a time. Others are unique to just one person. Frank Lloyd Wright used his personal style while designing the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and several houses in California. Detail of Storer House Arizona Biltmore Detail of Ennis House

In the late 1990s, the City of Tempe commissioned two Arizona artists to make outdoor sculptures to honor two important people in the city’s history.

Clark C. Reidy made a bronze sculpture of one of Tempe’s founders: Charles Trumbull Hayden. The base of the sculpture shows some of Hayden’s accomplishments from the late 1870’s. Hayden’s Ferry 1871 Hayden Flour Mill, 1871

John Nelson made a steel, concrete and tile sculpture honoring U.S. Congressman Harry Mitchell, a former Tempe High School teacher, Tempe Mayor and Arizona State Legislator. Information about Mitchell appears on the base of the sculpture.

Reidy’s and Nelson’s sculptures are alike in several ways. Both sculptures include information about the leaders on the bases. Both artists chose metal as the primary material. Both sculptures show the leaders’ images from head to toe.

In spite of all the similarities, Reidy’s and Nelson’s individual styles are extremely different.

Reidy’s realistic style uses solid masses, numerous details and contrasting textures.

Nelson’s abstract style uses simplified shapes and flat planes.

Why do you believe that Nelson chose to make Harry Mitchell’s sculpture in an abstract style? Tempe Municipal Building

Why do you believe that Reidy chose to make Carl Trumbull Hayden’s sculpture in a realistic style? Territorial Normal School

Imagine that you are an artist commissioned to make an artwork to honor Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. O’Connor grew up on a large cattle ranch in Southeastern Arizona. She went to law school and was appointed the first woman Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1981.

What style would you use to honor Justice O’Connor? What materials would you use? What details about her life would you include? Upon what art elements would you focus? Photo from the O’Connor House website.Cover art from the book by Alan H. Day.

Two characteristics of Faigin’s style are: choice of charcoal for his drawings and focus on value (light and dark). The Faces exhibition at Tempe Center for the Arts includes several self- portraits by Seattle artist Gary Faigin.

Look closely at how Faigin uses value in this portrait. Can you identify where he uses which type of value? Very black Dark gray Middle gray Light gray Pure white

You can compare several artists’ styles at the Faces exhibitions at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Dale MathisHenry StinsonChris Saper

Special Thanks to: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Gary Faigin Dale Mathis Congressman Harry Mitchell Chris Saper Henry Stinson Tempe History Museum Tempe Public Art Program