Elements of Art (pages 32-36)

1. Elements of Art (pages 32-36) By:ShaDe’ Phoenix

2. The basic visual components of an art piece include line, shape, form, space, color, and texture.

3. Line-the path of a point moving through space • Lines vary in length, width and direction: -sometimes they are not solid continuous lines but, dashed or dotted • Artists use lines to express ideas and feelings -vertical lines make the eyes raise -horizontal lines suggest peace and tranquility -jagged lines suggest activity • All artists use lines

4. Shape-two-dimensional area of an object (ex: triangle) Form-objects that are three-dimensional (ex: pyramid) • Shapes and forms can be geometric and give off an orderly and stable feel - example of geometric shapes: circles and squares - example of geometric forms: spheres and cubes • Shapes and forms can also be organic (lively) which conveys movement or rhythm

5. Space and Sculptures-(Shapes and Forms continued) • Pertaining to art, space is an organizational tool • The objects, shapes, or forms (referred to as figures) make up positive space • The area around the figures make up the negative space The black figure is positive space and the white background is negative space • Sculptures are a type of 3-dimensional art, the primary being freestanding (relief) sculptures which project from its background -high relief= projecting boldly for the background -low relief= projecting slightly from the background

6. Perspective • Artists can manipulate the size and placement of objects to make them appear to be 3D -shading and highlighting the borders of figures makes it seem like light is shining on them -placing objects lower or higher on a picture plane creates depth (placing them lower makes them appear closer while placing them higher makes them appear farther away) -larger objects appear closer than smaller objects -more detailed objects appear closer than less detailed objects

7. Aerial (atmospheric) perspective takes into account how the elements or a change in weather affects impact the view of images from a distance -cause figures to then look lighter • Linear perspective says that as lines get farther and farther away they appear to be vanishing -drawn to depict two scenes an interior and exterior scene (refer to page 34)

8. Color (hue- the name of the color) • There are 3 primary colors that make up all other colors -red, blue, and yellow • Secondary colors are made from 2 primary colors -ex: red and blue makes violet • Tertiary colors are made from a primary color and an adjacent secondary color -blue + green (blue and green) = blue-green

9. Color wheel- used to organize hues in a visual scheme (system) -great at predicting the results of mixing hues -dates back to the 18th century • Value- how light or dark a color is -to make a color lighter you would add white, to make it darker you would add black (black and white are neutrals not hues) • Intensity- how bright/pure a color is -since the primary colors are pure (not mixed with anything) they are the most intense colors -mixing colors reduces the product’s intensity

10. Artists use color schemes to create visual and emotional effects • Artists use warm and cool colors to create space and movement in their artwork -Red, orange, and yellow are warm colors because they are associated with the heat of the sun or fire (advances towards the viewe’rseyes) -Green, blue, and violet are cool colors because they are associated with forests, lakes, and snow (recedes into the background) • Local color-the true color (does not take into account all the manipulation the artist does) • Optical color-the color after it has been affected by the lighting • Arbitrary color-colors that create an emotional response (used more commonly as of the 20thcentury)

11. Texture-how things feel or appear to feel • Actual texture-made from materials to actually duplicate what something feels like (you can feel it with your hand) • Visual texture- “an illusion of a textured surface” (page 35) depicted by using patterns or shapes to suggest what something might feel like

12. Composition-organization or arrangement of element of art • Rhythm is associated with movement and created by a repetition of elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures). -ex: motif-a single element of a pattern -ex2: pattern-repetition of certain elements • “Balance refers to an equal distribution of visual weight” (page 35) -ex: symmetrical balance (like a reflection)- a pattern is repeated on both sides of the central of the piece of art -ex2: approximate symmetry- images slightly differ on either side of the center of the artwork

13. -ex3: asymmetrical balance- achieved by placing the larger object in the center on the art piece and smaller objects farther from the center • Focal point- where the eye focuses “created by an “element that contrasts with the rest of the composition” (page 36)) • Proportion-the relationship (in size) between the parts of a composition -Artists sometimes exaggerate proportions in an effort to express themselves • Scales-the ratio of the an object in an art piece to the entire piece of art