Chapter 4: Elements of Art and Principle of Design

form, content, and context

3 principles of art

form

Means the constituent elements of a work of art independent of their meaning (e.g., the color, composition, medium or size of a flag, rather than its emotional or national significance)

color, dimensions, line, mass, medium, scale, shape, space, texture, value, and their corollaries.

11 formal elements include primary features which are not a matter of semantic significance (i.e., which do not carry meaning the way a word does)

medium used

Form also takes into account the _____

content

message

primary content

literal images; straightforward subjects and imagery; and describable facts, actions, and/or poses

secondary content

includes things which push "what you see" into "what you understand," so to speak.

context

means the varied circumstances in which a work of art is (or was) produced and/or interpreted.

primary context

is thus that which pertains to the artist: attitudes, beliefs, interests, and values; education and training; and biography.

secondary context

is that which addresses the milieu in which the work was produced: the apparent function of the work at hand; religious and philosophical convictions; sociopolitical and economic structures; and even climate and geography, where relevant.

What the work Is about

Content is _____.

How the work Is

Form is _____.

In what circumstances the work Is (and was).

Context is _____.

elements of art

are the visual components which are required to create a work of art.

line, shape, form, color, texture, value, perspective, space, volume

9 elements of art

Line

is an important element at the disposal of every artist.

Line

It always has direction, always moving, and as used in any work of art, may either be straight or curved.

Line

the first element of art and are continuous marks that are made on any surface with a moving point.

essential building block of art

Line serves as an _____.

content itself

Line serves as an essential building block of art, but it can also serve as the _____ of a work of art or be manipulated to evoke an emotional or intellectual response from a viewer

vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, curved lines

4 basic types of lines

Vertical Lines

are lines poised for action.

orderly feeling

Only vertical lines can be used to express an _____.

Horizontal Lines

are lines of repose and serenity.

feeling of peacefulness and stillness

Only horizontal lines can give a _____.

Diagonal Lines

lines that suggest action and movement

Curved Lines

lines that suggest race, movement, flexibility, joyousness and grace.

S curves

Curved lines are sometimes referred to as _____.

Curved Lines

lines that suggest gracefulness or sexiness.

curved leading lines, vertical leading lines, horizontal leading lines, both horizontal and vertical leading lines, diagonal leading lines, combination of curved, diagonal, and horizontal leading lines

6 lines in photography

Including leading lines

_____ within a photograph is a composition technique that can strongly influence the overall result of an image.

Leading lines

can direct a person’s eye to a main focal point or, if used incorrectly, can draw the eye away from the subject or appear to cut a photo in half.

shape

An enclosed space defined by other art elements such as line, color and texture.

geometric, organic

Shapes can be _____ or _____.

Geometric shapes

• come from geometry, which is the math of shapes made of points and lines.

• Circles, squares, rectangles, triangles.

• Seen in architecture, manufactured items.

Organic shapes

• Leaves, seashells, flowers.

• Seen in nature; free flowing and irregular shapes.

Positive shapes

occupy positive space

negative space

The area around positive shapes, the background

Positive shapes

• are the solid forms in a design such as a bowl of fruit.

• In a sculpture, it is the solid form of the sculpture.

Negative shapes

• In a drawing, it is the space around the positive shape or the shape around the bowl of fruit.

• In sculpture, it is the empty shape around and between the sculptures.

form

Appears 3-dimensional (3D) such as a cube, sphere, pyramid or cylinder.

form

means the whole of a piece's visible elements and the way those elements are united

Color

refers to the visual perception of light being reflected from a surface of an artwork.

Color

It is the range of visual light in the spectrum and properties of the pigments used in making visual art.

Hue

the name of the color (green, yellow ,etc.)

Intensity

is the amount of pigment or saturation. (brightness ,dullness ,etc.)

Value

the lightness or darkness of the color.

yellow

color meaning warmth, creativity, and energy

red

color meaning passion, aggression, danger, and appetite

orange

color meaning cheer, warmth, and optimism

green

color meaning fresh, natural, and healthy

blue

color meaning peace, serenity, trust, and religion

purple

color meaning luxury, imagination, and playfulness

brown

color meaning nature, comfort, and stability

white

color meaning purity, simplicity, and innocence

black

color meaning authority, power, wealth, sophistication

texture

Is the element that deals more directly with the sense of touch.

texture

has to do with the characteristics which can be rough or smooth, fine or coarse, shiny or dull, plain or irregular.

texture

• It applies to how an object feels or appears to feel.

• It can be either implied or actual. A rock may be rough and jagged. A piece of silk may be soft and smooth, and your desk may feel hard and smooth.

texture

refers to the way a picture is made to look rough or smooth.

Implied texture

• expresses the idea of how a surface might feel.

• For example, a painting of a blanket might convey the idea that the blanket is soft.

Actual texture

• is texture that can be felt.

• For example, a ceramic bowl might feature a carved texture that could be felt when holding that bowl.

value

refers to the light and dark areas of a picture.

value

creates depth within a picture making an object look three dimensional (3D) with highlights and cast shadows.

tint

is adding white to create lighter values such as light blue or pink.

shade

is adding black to create dark values such as dark blue or dark red.

value scale

is a scale that shows the gradual change in value from its lightest value, white to its darkest value black

Light and shadow

is a means of modeling a figure in depth, a means of articulating the form

chiaroscuro

light and shadow

perspective

is an art technique for creating an illusion of three-dimensions (depth and space) on a two-dimensional (flat) surface.

perspective

is what makes a painting seem to have form, distance, and look "real."

viewpoint

• is the spot (point) from which you, the artist, is looking at (viewing) the scene.

• There's no right or wrong choice of _____, it's simply the first decision you make when beginning to plan your composition and figure out the perspective.

Linear perspective

is worked out according to this viewpoint.

Linear perspective

has to do with the direction of lines and the size of objects.

Foreshortening

Is a term of linear perspective applied mainly to the human figure.

Normal viewpoint

is how an adult sees the world when standing up

Normal viewpoint

• When painting in a realistic style, this is the viewpoint you'll probably use because it's what we're accustomed to seeing.

• It's what looks most real.

low viewpoint

is when you're looking at a scene from much lower than you would standing up.

high viewpoint

• is when you're looking down on a scene.

• You might be on a ladder, up a hill, on the balcony of a tall building.

atmospheric perspective

aerial perspective is also called as _____

aerial perspective

method of creating the illusion of depth, or recession, in a painting or drawing by modulating color to simulate changes effected by the atmosphere on the colors of things seen at a distance.

space

Is the area occupied by an object or the area formed by the absence of an object(s).

space

The distance around, between, above, below, and within an object.

space

It is usually related to showing foreground, middle ground, and background on a flat surface.

positive space, negative space

2 categories of space

volume

is the representation of mass in an artwork or a sculpture.

three-dimensional effect

Artists simulate volume in their paintings to give their paintings a _____.

solidity

Volume is often called _____.

volume

It is the quality of an object which enables us to know that it has thickness as well as length and breadth.

by contour lines (outlines or shapes of objects), by surface lights and shadows

We perceive volume primarily in two ways:

theme, design, movement, technique, costume and properties, choreography, scenery, music

8 elements of dance

theme

it is the content or the main ingredient of the dance

design

the planned organization or pattern of movement

movement

it is the action of dancers as they use their bodies to create organized patterns.

costume and properties

the visual elements of costumes and properties and impact to the performance of the dancers

choreography

the sequence of steps and movements in dance

scenery

it is the background establishing the place of action of any dance

music

• it is closely related to dance

• it is something melodic and harmonious, usually used as an accompaniment

form, substance

dance is divided into two forms

form

refers to the variations and styles of movements