Part II: The Formal Elements and Their Design (Describing the art you see)
Elements of Art
(Language of Art)
The
subject matter of Paul Cezanne's Still Life with Basket of Apples is an
arrangement of fruits and objects.
The
composition formally is a complex organization
of lines, shapes, light and color.
To
the casual eye the work appears full of mistakes, but it is deliberately
arranged to "reanimate" or give life back to the "still life."
Cezanne
has taken liberties with the composition making it dynamic, rather than static.
LINE
Varieties of Lines: Line is one of the most
fundamental elements of art.
Expressive Line: Lines that express powerful emotions.
Analytic & Classical
Line: Lines that are precisely controlled, mathematically rigorous,
logical, and rationally organized.
SPACE
Shape: A two-dimensional
area with boundaries that can be measured in terms of height and width.
Mass: A solid that
occupies a three-dimensional volume. (height, width, and depth)
Three-dimensional space: Positive & Negative spaces (shapes)
Two-dimensional space: A flat space, possessing height and width, but no depth.
A sense of depth, of three dimensions, can be achieved only by means of illusion.
Linear Perspective: One-point & two-point linear perspective
Isometric Projection: All the measurements Ð height, width, and depth Ð are to the same scale. (e.g. the sketch of architecture)
Oblique Projection (birdÕs-eyes view picture): The space is depicted in oblique perspective. (e.g. Traditional Japanese hanging scrolls)
Distortions of space (Out-of-proportion): The way one draws exactly what one sees rather that what one has to see. (e.g. PearlsteinÕs figure paintings)
Foreshortening: The dimensions of the closer extremities are adjusted in order to make up for the distortion created by the point of view.
*Important
Factors of 2-D Space:
Relative density
Relative position
Overlapping
LIGHT
Atmospheric (aerial) perspective: Unlike linear perspectives, these rules state that
the quality of the atmosphere (the haze and relative humidity) depends on
the distance between large objects and us.
For example, objects further away from us appear less
distinct, often cooler or bluer in color and the contrast between light and
dark is reduced.
Chiaroscuro (light
& dark): The balance between light and shade. (Especially, the gradual
transition around a curved surface from light to dark.)
Modeling: The
use of chiaroscuro to represent light falling across a curved or rounded
surface.
Hatching & Cross-hatching: The linear methods of modeling. An area of closely
spaced parallel lines, or hatches.
Key (Value): The
gradual shift from light to dark. This characterizes both chiaroscuro and atmospheric
perspective.
Hue (Color:
tint & shade):
A tint of color:
To add white to the basic hue (or color)
A
shade of color: To add black to the
basic
hue (or color)
COLOR
Spectrum: The bands of different colors which appear when sunlight pass through a prism
Color wheel: The visible spectrum arranged in a circle
Primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue
Secondary colors: Orange, Green, and Violet
Intermediate colors: (YO, YG, BG, BV, RV, and RO): Colors mixed by using a primary and a neighboring secondary color.
Intensity (Saturation): A function of a colorÕs relative brightness or dullness.
Analogous color schemes (Cool & Warm temperature): Four adjacent colors on the color wheel.
Complementary color schemes (O/B, Y/V, and R/G): The combination of opposing colors on the color wheel.
Simultaneous contrast: In a combination of complementary colors, each color will appear brighter than if it appears alone.
Monochromatic
color schemes
Polychromatic
color schemes
Color mixtures of pigment (R.Y.B): Subtractive process
In
mixing two primaries, the secondary that results is of a lower key and seems
duller
than
either of the original two primaries because each given primary absorbs a
different
range
of white light.
Color mixtures of light (R.G.B): Additive process
If we mix two primaries of colored light, the
resulting secondary is higher in key and
seems
brighter than either primary. Our most usual exposure to this process occurs
when
we
watch television.
Color in Representational Art
Local color: the colors we ÒknowÓ an object to be. (E.g. a banana is yellow or a fire truck is red)
Perceptual color: the colors that natural light renders an object to your eyes (e.g. MonetÕs artworks)
Optical color: the colors that your eyes mix and create on the artwork. (e.g. SeuratÕs or SignacÕs artworks)
Arbitrary color: the color artists use expressively. (e.g. BonnardÕs artworks)
Symbolic color: the color artists use in symbolic meaning. (e.g. Van GoghÕs or KandinskyÕs artworks)
OTHER FORMAL ELEMENTS
Texture:
the surface quality of a work which describes certain tactile sensations
and feelings.
Actual
texture (e.g. impasto)
Visual texture (e.g. frottage):
visual illusion which appears to be actual
but is not
Pattern: a repetitive motif or design
Time and
Motion (Movement)
Painting
& sculpture (plastic arts)= Spatial media
Music & literature (written arts) = Temporal media
Op
Art (Optical painting): artwork that has the illusion of movement
Kinetic art: artwork that has actual movement which is driven motors.
Action Painting: Jackson Pollock
Art work which the lines prompt the eye of the viewer to follow the action and
the work as a whole
serves to document the action or movement of the artist.