Week 1

September 6, 2013

Elements of Art

What are they?

Line

• Extension of a point• Write, draw, plan and play with lines• Visual means of communication• Line in 3-D? • In art and nature – lines as paths of action

“Rails & Jet Trails” by Ansel Adams, 1953

Line Variations

Shape

• Refer to the expanse within the outline of a 2-D area or within the outer boundaries of a 3-D object

• 3-D object – mass, volume– Object is silhouetted – only as a flat shape

“I and the Village” by Marc Chagall, 1911

Time and Motion

• Nonspatial continuum• The fourth dimension, in which events occur

in succession• Although time itself is invisible, it can be made

perceptible in art• Become major elements in visual media such

as film, video, and kinetic sculpture

Time and Motion

• Stopped time• Harold Edgerton – invented the strobe light

Light

• Everything we see is made visible by the radiant energy we call light

• As light changes, surfaces illuminated by it also appear to change

“Abraham Lincoln” by Daniel Chester French

Color

• Component of light• Affects us directly by modifying our thoughts,

moods, actions, and even our health• Colors can affect work habits and mental

conditions• People exposed to red and orange• Some blues have calming effect

Color• The physics of color– Affect on our eyes of light waves of differing

wavelengths or frequencies– When combined, these light waves make white– Color exists only in light, but light itself seems

colorless to the human eye

Color

• Hue – refers to a particular wavelegth to which we give a name aka the color wheel

• Value – from light to dark• Intensity/saturation – purity of a hue or color;

pure hue is the most intense form of a given color; hue at its highest saturation

Color Wheel

Texture

• Refers to the tactile qualities of surfaces or to visual representation of those qualities

• Actual texture – feel by touching• Simulated (implied) – created to look like

something other than paint on a flat surface

“Object” by Meret Oppenheim, 1936

Principles of Design

Unity & Variety

• Appearance or condition of oneness

• Feeling that all elements in a work belong together and make a whole

• When a work of art has unity, we feel that any change could diminish it’s quality

• Diversity; variety counters unity

• Balance between the two creates life

• Visual themes – balance unity, lines, shapes colors

“Going Home” by Jacob Lawrence, 1946

“Going Home” by Jacob Lawrence, 1946

“Interior of a Dutch House” by Pieter de Hooch, 1658

Balance

• Visual experience and structural necessity• Achievement of equilibrium; influences held in

check by opposing forces• Symmetrical balance vs. asymmetrical balance

Balance - Symmetrical

• Near or exact matching of left or right sides of both 2-D or 3-D design or structure

• Greatly used in architecture

“Portrait of the Hung-Chih Emperor” Ming Dynasty, 15th century

Asymmetrical

• Left and right sides are not the same. • However, various elements are balanced

according to size and meaning

“Holy Family on the Steps” by Nicolas Poussin, 1648

“Jockies before the Race” by Edgar Degas, 1878-1879

Emphasis & Subordination

• Draw our attention to a specific spot; “Focal point”

• Position, contrast, color intensity, size

• Creates neutral areas of lesser interest that keeps us from being distracted from the areas of emphasis

Directional Forces

• Paths for our eye• ( l ) = standing still• ( - ) = at rest• ( / ) = in motion

“Bullfight: The Agility and Daring of Juanito Apinani” by Fancisco Goya

Contrast

• Juxtaposition of strongly dissimilar elements– Dark vs. light– Large vs. small– Bright vs. dull

• Without contrast, visual experience would be monotonous

“Luster painted Bowl” Hispano Morseque, Manises, c 1400

Repetition & Rhythm

• Repeating of an object or idea

• Created through the regular recurrence of elements with related variation

• Refers to any kind of movement or structure

“Madonna of the Chair” by Raphael Sanzio, c. 1514

“Cranes” by Ogata Korin, 1700

Scale & Proportion

• size relation of one thing to another whole

• Short next to tall

• Size relationship of parts to another whole

“Shuttlecocks” by Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen, 1994

Review