Chapter 4: The Visual Elements

pointilism

a technique of applying dots to of pure color that are then mixed by our eyes to produce the illusion of color mixtures

mass

a three-dimensional form that occupies a volume of space

shape

a two dimensional form that occupies an area with identifiable boundaries- may be created by changes in texture, color, or lines

simultaneous contrasts

colors are placed side by side to create optical mixture and intensify one another, as in pointillism

visual elements

consists of line, shape, light, mass, color, texture, pattern, and space- the elements we perceive and respond to when we look at a work's form

linear perspective

creates illusion of forms receding in space as they diminish in size, and utilizes the illusion of parallel lines appearing to converge in the distance at a vanishing point- demonstrates use of mind in art rather than just a craft of hand

Newton

discovered color as refracting light in 1966

actual light

existing light in art that is either natural or man made

illusionistic space

includes foreshortening, linear, isometric, and atmospheric perspective

implied space

includes overlapping and position (foreground/middle ground/background)

contour lines

lines drawn to record boundaries

values

quality of light and dark

stippling

technique to portray value; areas of dots average out through optical mixing into values

foreshortening

the affect of linear perspective when applied to objects and humans within a work of art

isometric perspective

uses vanishing points where parallel lines never meet; goes back but no coherent vanishing point as in linear perspective

shading/modeling

using chiaroscuro or values to create mass

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Nocturne in Blue and Gold

- Old Battersea Bridge -monochromatic except for a few dashes of gold, brushed in blue - blue contributes to subdued emotional mood of painting -sued Ruskin for libel -"throwing pot of paint in audiences face" - case contends the importance of the effects of color in art -not intended to be a "correct" portrait of a bridge

The Raven and the First Men, Bill Reid

- depicts birth of humankind as told in stories of Haida- people of Pacific Northwest Coast -light-and-shadow reveal three dimensional aspects of sculpture -photograph only gives 2d view of a 3d sculpture- cannot get full effect -giant bird=spirit Raven- coaxed people out into world from clam shell -organic shapes and masses -negative shapes appear between wings/body

Jean-Antoine Watteau, The Embarkation of Cythera

- rococo- french period style of the 18th century, exhibits a radical departure from a focus on serious topics in art -aristocrats dresses in fine, elegant garments -winged putti (cupid) figures add element of fantasy -uses implied lines- creates line and direction without explicit definition that draws the eye in an implied s-curve motion

George Seurat, Evening Honfleur

- wanted to create an artistic approach to the science of color theory - contrasting values and complementary colors make each element appear more luminous -sea is almost an "indefinable grey" -dots remain distinct enough to give painting subtle texture- pointillism uses optical mixing to combine dots into single images -part of neoimpressionism movement- he called it divisionism because theory based on dividing pure color -requires perceptions of the viewer to utilize optical mixing and combine elements in pointillism

Alexander Calder, Southern Cross

-American Artist working primarily in abstraction -kinetic art- called mobiles, there are an infinite # of possible compositions - Southern cross is popular name for Crux= constellation visible in Southern Hemisphere used to help sailors steer ships

The Siege of Belgrade, from a manuscript of Sulaymannama

-Indian artist using isometric perspective -Sulayman was famous ottoman sultan -blue and white fortress portrayed using isometric perspective

Mona Hatoum, Dormiente

-Italian for "sleeping person" -like pop art- takes ordinary objects and reveals the uncanny danger/seduction in new uses -simultaneously attractive and forbidden -cheese grater as bed; uses actual texture in piece

James Turrell, The Light Inside

-MFA Houston, 2013- light tunnel installation color changing light is material presence of work -tunnel acts as a passage and destination- gives floating feeling -3D impressionistic landscape -permanent installation in Sarasota mimics sunset -artist is pilot- piece exhibits moment of flight where you lose horizon -wanted to bring cosmos closer to space occupied by humans

Emmi Whitehorse, Chanter

-Navajo artist inspired by signs/symbols carved in caves -illustrates use of shape and mass -oil on paper, then mounted on a canvas -some shapes defined by lines, some by shift in color/value -implied shapes encourage mind of viewer to complete them -abstract bird is organic whereas upside down house shapes are geometric -figure/ground are woven together creating a fluid/dreamlike display -bird is a shape, a figure that emerges from the ground that we can detach from the piece and focus on

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper

-center, Christ's head, acts as top of stabilizing triangle and vanishing point in work -scene provides an extension of our own space, creates sense of spatial depth through line -takes audience into consideration for first time in Western art -fresco art- had to undergo restoration because Da Vinci experimented mixing oil/tempura resulting in rapid deterioration -depicts moment where Jesus has just told followers "One of you will betray me"

Henri Matisse, Study of A Woman's Back (1914)

-composed of purely contour lines

Hans Baldung, Grien, The Groom and the Witch

-exhibits foreshortening techniques -torso is shortened to give viewer realistic vantage point -groom lies perpendicular to horizon line -horse stands at 45 degree angle to picture plane, foreshortened, space between rump and forequarters is compressed by odd angle at which we view it

the madonna of the meadows, Raphael

-groups 2 figures together to be perceived as singular, triangular whole -covering foot makes implied triangle less definite -helps perceive art as unified/harmonious whole -Mary's head=apex, John the Baptist= lower left corner, Mary's exposed foot=lower right corner

Sarah Sze, Hidden Relief

-installation -lines that draw lattice, curves, and circular forms in air -uses commonplace items that become visual elements in art -conveys direction and motion

John Frederick Kensett, Lake George

-landcape using atmospheric perspective -hazy look pulls eye back -three hills along longer shores grow progressively more hazy and tinged with blue

circular shield with stepped fret design, Aztec (before 1521, feathers)

-made for military officer as sign of rank -light figure on dark ground vs dark figure on light ground

Richard Serra, Inside Out

-made of steel, 13 ft tall -inspired by hull of ship/architecture -uses architecture to inspire idea of a passage that can be experienced -helps understand space in relation to movement -towering walls lean outward and inward to continuously modify the space and experience of it

Theodore Gericault, The Raft of Medusa (1818-1819)

-mainly composed of diagonal lines -in tradition, if a ship is sinking the captain goes down with it, but in this case the captain fled and the leftovers forced to build a raft, many reduced to cannibalism -150 were on ship, but only 12-15 survived -tells tale of survival and exhibits the incompetence of the French govt- piece ends up in London -composed based on the events imagined through hearing stories -pyramidal form adds drama to the scene- directs eye to apex as in a stabilizing triangle

Charles White, Untitled, 1979

-metal plate engraving with acid -uses cross hatching to create varied values

Thomas Eakins, The Biglin Brothers Racing (1873-74)

-mimics accuracy of photography -dominates by horizontal lines -diagonals of oars and clouds create a sense of space and moving backwards -Artist was an American realist that began in France- focused on painting scenes of everyday life to embody the idea of the American Spirit

Edward Munich, The Scream

-part of the symbolism movement- a prelude to expressionism -increased interest in subconscious realm of emotion- using color to express it -red= blood, horror, anguish -"It was a time when life had ripped my soul open" -unstable diagonals/swirling lines exhibits a silent cry of a soul projected onto nature

Henri Cartier, Bresson, Aquila (Abruzzi, Italy)

-primarily uses directional lines- have the power to unconsciously draw viewer's attention in particular way -images "capture the decisive moment" -picture plane organized in figure framework -vertical lines mimic black figures -lines break up the picture plane and direct the composition

Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Architectural Perspective

-renaissance art exhibits new techniques of linear perspective -receding lines appear to grow closer, until they reach vanishing point on horizon -creates a realistic spatial perspective -smaller buildings in background create a 3D spatial depth

The Sun and the Moon., Elizabeth Murray

-strikes balance between what we see in abstract terms (orange figure), and what is eventually realized to be figure (cat) -repetition of shape -light casts shadows, piece must be shallow sculpture of sorts -ambiguity of elements suggests representative abstractions of sight/sound

Keith Haring, Untitled

-thick green brush lines portray boundaries of merman figure appearing before a dolphin -wavy lines=symbolic of radiation of spiritual energy -lines create symbols of perception to separate body from background -primarily symbolic- no distinction between angel and air -Artist began career as graffiti artist

Devorah Sperber, Hendrix

-uses brain's capacity to assemble images from discrete units of visual information -1292 spools of thread mimic equivalent of pixelated image -based on color theory, mimics pointillism techniques -clear, acrylic sphere in front of work acts as lens to gather visual information, minimize, and rotate it (imitates the way our eyes and Brain work) -makes us aware of. brain's role in constructing a visual reality

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin and St Anne With The Christ Child and John the Baptist

-uses chiaroscuro- shades of grey and varied values to create roundness and give form to figures -figures appear breathed into paper, bathed in a soft allover light that comes from everywhere but nowhere -roundness is evident by looking between heads of two children at raised hand of St Anne -hand of St Anne drawn with contour line but not modeled- appears flat as though it does not belong to rest of image

Albrecht Durer, Draftsman Drawing a Reclining Nude

-using measuring device to create realistic proportions -extreme foreshortening -uses obelisk on table to stabilize view of model, glances back and forth using grid lines on paper as reference points -uses obelisk to steady focus of moving gaze to create accurate perspective

Willem Kalf, Still Life with Glass Goblet and Porcelain Bowl

-visual texture captured in paint; formed idea of texture through observation of reflected light -reflected light conveys hard, smooth surface of porcelain bowl

3 components of space

1) linear perspective 2) chiaroscuro- values creating light and dark 3) atmospheric perspective

figure

a shape we detach from surroundings and choose to focus on

ground

a surrounding visual field from which a figure stands out

actual texture

a tactile experience in a work of art

time and motion

___________ _________ _______________ have become increasingly important to art during the 20th and 21st centuries- more thought and emphasis placed on the nature of time in modern day

shade

a color darker than that of the hue's normal value

tint

a color lighter than that of the hue's normal value

line

a path traced by a moving point, used as symbolic forms in art, used to record borders of form and convey direction and motion

intensity

also called chroma or saturation, refers to the relative purity of a color

implied texture

an illusionary experience of texture

pattern

any decorative, repetitive motif or design

hatching

areas of closely spaced parallel lines

kinetic art

art that actually moves

implied shapes

artists use _______________ to help unify their compositions- they help create a sense of order in art

atmospheric perspective

as objects recede into the distance they become paler, bluer, and less distinct- close objects have more intense color and as the approach horizon line they begin to "blue out", only used in landscape paintings

triadic

harmonies composed of any three equidistant hues on the color wheel

monochromatic

harmonies composed of variations of the same hue

complementary

harmonies involving directly opposite colors on the color wheel

analogous

harmonies that combine adjacent colors on the color wheel

two dimensional space

has only height/width- there exists the picture plane and the illusion of the negative ground and positive figure space

cross-hatching

helps achieve darker values, parallel lines laid across parallel lines

chiaroscuro

italian for light/dark, discovered and perfected by italian painters in renaissance, records contrasts of light and shadow in the natural world

geometric

shapes and masses that approximate the regular named shapes and volumes of geometry such as triangle, circle, square, cube, pyramid, and sphere

organic

shapes and masses that are irregular and evoke living forms of nature

light (actual/illusionistic)

the fundamental purpose of ____________________ is to show us the material world- it helps to understand form and spatial relationships

illusionistic light

the impression of light created by an artist

triangle

the most common type of implied shape used in art

hue

the name of a color according to categories of the color wheel

texture & pattern

the perceived surface qualities of a work of art- they can be actual or implied

negative shapes

the shapes of the ground

positive shapes

the shapes we perceive as figures

value

there are several _____________ techniques that artists use to imply light within art- these techniques result in the illusion of shape/mass of objects