Basic properties of Art

Form and content

• Form refers to purely visual aspects of art.

• Content refers to non-visual aspects of art

.

Form

• Line

• Shape

• Color

• Space

• composition

Line

• Implied - movement of the viewer’s eyes follows a path determined by the artist

• Actual – when it is visible

• Expressionistic

• Classical

• Romantic

Barnet Newman, “Onement I” 1960s

Titian, Assumption and Consecration of the Virgin 1516-1518

David, “Death of Socrates” 1787

Delacroix, “Death of Sardanapalus” 1828

Color

• Hue

• Value

• Saturation

• Complementary colors

• Cool and warm colors

Texture

• Actual

• Implied

space

• Is what contains objects

– Actual and 3 dimensional

– Represented illusionistically in two

dimensions– Picture plane

– Foreground, middleground, background

– objects

Perspective

• Overlapping

• Dimunition

• Vertical and diagonal perspective

• Atmospheric perspective

Content

• Social, political, religious , economic

contexts

• Intention of the artist

• Reception of the work

• Meanings of the work to both artist and

viewer

Subject vs Subject Matter

Style

• Period style

• Regional style

• Representational styles

– Realism

– Naturalism

– Idealism

Abstract styles

nonrepresentational

expressionism