Art Appreciation, Day 2:Line, Shape, Contrast, etc.
Professor Paige PraterT, R, 9:30-10:50AM
10 ELEMENTS of Art:
1. Color 2. Form 3. Line4. Mass5. Shape6. Space7. Texture8. Time/Motion9. Value10. Volume
10 PRINCIPLES of Art:1. Unity 2. Variety3. Balance4. Emphasis5. Focal Point6. Pattern7. Proportion8. Rhythm9. Scale10. Contrast
Two-dimensional art:
• Line• Shape
• Contrast
Line
Mel Bochner, Vertigo, 1982. Charcoal, conte’ crayon, and pastel on canvas, 9’x6’2”. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
Line
• Regular/irregular• Actual/implied• Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal
Regular/Irregular Line
Andre Masson, Automatic Drawing, 1925-6. Ink on paper, 12 x91/2”. Muse’e National d’Art Moderne. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.
Actual/Implied LINE
Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal LINE
SHAPE
• A 2D area with boundaries (line, value, color)
Rectilinear vs. curvilinear
Implied SHAPE
Example:
Positive/Negative SHAPE
Positive/Negative SHAPE
• Contrast!– M.C. EscherSky and Water I, 1938, woodcut, 17 1/8 x 17 3/8. The M. C. Escher Company, Netherlands
Kara Walker, artist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6t-S_DFxCI
Biographical analysis: what experiences/opinions does she share that influence her subject matter?
Other types of analysis:
• Formal: elements and principles of art• Psychological: interprets artist’s mental state• Contextual: historical, religious, political
economic, social, etc.• Feminist: role of women in the artwork as
subjects, creators, patrons, and viewers• Iconographic: objects and figures as signs or
symbols (often religious or historical)
Three-dimensional art:
• Form (vs. SHAPE)• Height, width, depth
– Volume – amount of space occupied– Mass- solidity (small or massive)
• Texture – tangible (3D) or imaginary (2D)
Form Volume Mass
Great Pyramid of Kuhuf, c. 2560 BCE, Giza, Egypt
Texture• http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=80997
Me’ret Oppenheim, Object, 1936. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, 2 7/8” high, MOMA, New York.
Analyze• Otto Dix, Kriegeskrueppel (War Cripples), 1920. Drypoint, 12 ¾ x19 ½”, MOMA,
New York.
Group Work: AnalyzeShepard Fairey, Obey, 1996.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Music—Pink and Blue II, 1919. Oil on canvas, 35x29 1/8”. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.