Art and Ideas Quiz #1

What are the 3 basic things when analyzing art?

subject, form, and function

subject

what is it about, meaning

form

how the work appears to our eyes related to elements of form

picture plane

art work is put right on surface or center of the plane for effect

Function

the purpose of the artwork

halos

golden, yellow orbes of light behind head of people to associate Holy Divine

still life

picture or piece of a group of random objects

iconography

study of the subject matter in terms of the sybolism

What are the 7 elements of form

line, shape, mass, light, space, texture and color

line

is a human invention, a system of dots/points to form spatial relationships, evokes action, stillness

outline

defines a 2D shape, flat, around a figure

contour line

define boundaries that we perceive of 3D form, having mass/volume, thinking about position between light vs dark, does involve light

implied line

suggests visual connections between points in a work of art, minds fills in the existence of a line

implied line of sight

following where the people are looking, there are lines that are vertical or horizontal or perpendicular to set a sense of permanence and stability, the objects are not moving

crosshatching

we are controlling appearance and volume or mass, closer is more dense, wider is more free and light

geometric shape

regular defined shapes of geometry

biomorphic/organic shapes

irregular in appearance, they evoke living forms of nature

representational art

artist gives you something that is instantly recognizable or realistica

abstract

art does. not appear realistic, the artist has altered them for effect

mass

defines a 3D area, is the physical bulk of the piece, can be real or implied

open form

interacts with the space around it, seems alive, interactive to the viewercl

closed form

when the figure is pulled in and not engaging with the space around, is quiet and solitude

Texture

real, actual, or implied, can have a variety of different textures i

impasto

the artist creates texture through the use of oil paint, very thick and heavy blobs being applied to almost pop off the picture plane, gives the piece a 3D look and is engaging to the viewers

what artist uses impasto as a form of texture

Vincent Van Gough

Light

shapes and reveals forms, light vs dark, determines value of color, can be real vs implied light, you want to think about how the physical lights are portraying the piece of art in a gallery, how do shadows affect the art piece

Color

paradox, exists only in human light

What did Sir Isaac Newton discover in 1666?

white light is composed of all the colors, what we perceive as colors is projected light rays

When all wavelengths are absorbed by a surface

we see black

When all wavelengths are reflected by a surface

we see white

What colors are considered neutrals

white, black, and grey

Color scheme

color groupings that combine color harmonies

monochromatic

made up of variations of a single color

complementary

the use of 2 colors that are opposite on the color wheel

What are two different ways color can be used

it can be used naturally or unnaturally

what does yellow signify in an unnatural way

feminine

what does blue signify in an unnatural way

masculinity

what does red signify in an unnatural way

bad spirits hurting the world

Space

made up of an empty or open area with boundaries, signifies emptiness

What are two meanings of Space

space could be the physical space the artwork takes up or the implied space the artist is portraying

How to you experience space

you must move through it to interact with it

How do you analyze space if an art piece is 2D

you look at how the artist has to imply spatial relationships or depth

Overlapping

implies depth and spatial relationships to put a 3D effect on a 2D item, makes the artwork more realistic

Vertical Placement

imply spatial depth while allowing things to stay on the picture plane surface

in vertical placement, objects at the top of the piece are

further away from us

in vertical placement, objects at the bottom of the piece are

closer to us

diminished size or scale

images that are at the tope of the picture plane are smaller to signify the distance away, images will be bigger towards the bottom of the plane meaning that they are closer to you

atmospheric perspective

believable show of spatial depth, used in rendering outdoor landscapes, and being aware of how the atmosphere impacts the way a viewer looks at the painting

What are 3 things to analyze with space

scale, detail, and color

scale

sets up a foreground, background, and middleground

detail

more detail will be given to things closest to viewers, detail is faint in the background

color

changes as one looks at the horizon, the horizon will look like a blueish grey

One point linear perspective

artwork converges at a single vanishing point that is either visible or not at all

horizon line

line straight across at eye level on picture plane

vanishing point

all pieces of the artwork goes toward the single vanishing point