Art Appreciation: Subject and Form

• Art appreciation involves understanding the subject, form, and content of artworks.

Subject

• The subject refers to the visual focus or image in an artwork.
• Representational art aims to depict people/objects as realistically as possible.
• Non-representational art is an advanced form of abstract art with no direct reference to reality.
• Common sources of subject matter:
  • Nature (animals, plants, landscapes)
  • People and world events (portraits, news)
  • Myths and legends
  • Spiritual and religious beliefs

Form

• The form is the overall arrangement and organization of an artwork.
• It involves the development and structure of the work.
• Two-dimensional art possesses width and height, lacking depth.
  • Examples of two-dimensional media include paper and canvas.
  • Drawings are sketches without color, while paintings incorporate color pigments.
• Three-dimensional art has actual form and real depth.
  • Three-dimensional media include sculpture, assemblage, modeling, carving, casting, crafts, and architecture.

Content

• The content encompasses the artist’s intention, communication, and meaning behind the artwork.
• Three levels of meaning:
  • Factual: Literal or narrative content.
  • Conventional: Special meaning based on culture or group associations with objects and colors.
  • Subjective: Individual or personal meaning.

Mediums

• The medium refers to the materials used by an artist.
• Visual arts are those that can be seen and occupy space.
• Two classes of visual arts:
  • Two-dimensional: painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography
  • Three-dimensional: sculpture, architecture, landscape and community planning, industrial designs, ceramics, and furniture

Common Visual Arts Mediums

• Painting: Applying pigments to surfaces like wet plaster, canvas, wood, or paper.
  • Watercolor: Characterized by spontaneity and simplicity.
  • Fresco: Colors ground in water or lime water mixture; a precise, fast-setting medium.
  • Tempera: Pigments blended with egg yolk, egg white, or other egg-based emulsions.
  • Pastel: Dried paste of pigment and gum water pulverized with chalk.
  • Encaustic: Wax-based colors fixed with heat, an early Egyptian technique.
  • Oil: One of the most expensive art forms.
  • Acrylic: Combines oil's suppleness with watercolor's transparency and drying speed.
  • Mosaic: Uses tiny "tesserae" of colored glass or stone to create images.
  • Stained Glass: Commonly found in Gothic cathedrals and churches.
  • Tapestry: Hand-woven colored threads used for wall hangings, furniture coverings, and illustrations.
• Drawing: Uses pencil, pen, or charcoal; considered the most fundamental art skill.
• Printmaking: Artworks are duplicated and printed directly onto a surface.
  • Lithography: Uses a chemically or mechanically altered, almost smooth surface.
  • Silverpoint: Creates thin, grayish lines on prepared paper.
• Sculpture: The choice of medium is a crucial consideration.
  • Stone: A brittle and hard material made of mineral and soil.
  • Wood: Lighter and easier to carve than stone.
  • Clay: Typically needs to be cast in more durable materials.
• Architecture: The art of planning and building.
  • Materials include natural, man-made, and indigenous resources.
• Other Materials
  • Granite
  • Jade
  • Ivory
  • Metals
  • Plaster
  • Glass
  • Bistre
  • Crayons

Techniques in Visual Arts

• Blowing
• Etching
• Printing Techniques
• Transfer Design
• Tinkering
• Splattering
• Throwing
• Coloring

Elements of Art

• The "tools" artists use.
• Line:
  • A path that a point takes through space.
  • Horizontal lines evoke restfulness.
  • Vertical lines suggest reaching or height.
  • Diagonal lines can be disturbing.
  • Expressive lines are organic and found in nature.
  • Constructive lines appear man-made due to their precision.
• Shape:
  • A line that connects and encloses space, creating an outline.
  • Geometric shapes have smooth, even edges and are measurable.
  • Organic shapes have complicated edges and are found in nature.
• Form:
  • Possesses height, width, and depth, making it three-dimensional.
  • Shows the thickness of an object.
• Value:
  • The lightness or darkness of a color.
  • Light Source: The origin of light in the artwork.
  • Full Value Range: The presence of very light areas, middle tones, and very dark areas.
  • Ways to Add Value:
    • Cross-hatching: Overlapping parallel lines.
    • Stippling: Using dots to create shade.
    • Soft Shading: Gradual value transitions.
• Color:
  • Adds interest and realism to an artwork.
  • Color Theory (Isaac Newton): Observing color through a prism.
  • Color Wheel: A circular arrangement of colors.
  • Primary Colors: Red, Yellow, Blue (cannot be mixed; create other colors).
  • Secondary Colors: Mixtures of two primary colors (Orange, Violet, Green).
  • Tertiary Colors: Mixtures of primary and secondary colors.
• Color Schemes:
  • Analogous: 3-4 colors adjacent to each other.
  • Complementary: Colors directly opposite each other.
  • Split Complementary: A color and the two colors on either side of its complement.
  • Triadic: Three equally spaced colors.
  • Monochromatic: One color with its tints (plus white) and shades (plus black).
  • Color Temperatures:
    • Warm Colors: Reds, Yellows, Oranges (appear to advance).
    • Cool Colors: Blues, Greens, Violets (appear to recede).
• Texture:
  • The way a surface feels or appears to feel.
  • Tactile Texture (Real): The actual feel of a surface.
  • Implied Texture: The visual appearance of how a surface might feel.
• Space:
  • Background: The upper third of the picture plane.
  • Middle Ground: The middle third of the picture plane.
  • Foreground: The lower third of the picture plane.
  • Shallow Space: Objects close to the viewer.
  • Deep Space: Objects both near and far.
  • Positive Space: The actual objects within an artwork.
  • Negative Space: The area in and around the object.
  • Perspective: Creates deep space using a vanishing point and diminishing object sizes.
  • Overlap: Creates space by placing objects over each other.

Principles of Art and Design

• Balance:
  • A sense of equilibrium achieved by considering visual weight.
  • Radial Balance: Circular arrangement.
  • Types of Balance:
    • Symmetrical: Identical objects on either side of a central point (formal).
    • Asymmetrical: Different objects of equal visual weight (informal).
• Rhythm:
  • Leads the eye from one point to another.
  • Types of Rhythm:
    • Rhythm by Repetition: Duplicating shapes, lines, colors, patterns, and textures.
    • Rhythm by Gradation: Gradual changes in size and color.
    • Rhythm by Radiation: Identical objects from a central axis.
    • Rhythm by Opposition: Lines at right angles or contrasting colors.
    • Rhythm by Transition: Curved lines across a straight surface.
• Scale & Proportion:
  • Scale: Relates to the actual relative size and visual weight of design elements.
  • Proportion: Relates to the parts of an object and their relationships.
  • Golden Mean: A division of a line or form for pleasing proportions.
  • Effective Ratios: 2:3, 3:5, 5:8, 4:7.
  • A square is considered the least pleasing shape, while a rectangle is more pleasing.
• Emphasis:
  • The center of interest or focus within a design.
  • Guidelines:
    • Should command attention but not dominate.
    • Other features should not compete with the emphasis.
  • Ways to Create Emphasis:
    • Arrangement around a focal point.
    • Use of color, texture, or pattern.
    • Placement of accessories.
    • Use of lighting.
• Harmony:
  • Achieved by combining unity and variety effectively.
  • Too much variety causes confusion.
  • Lack of unity can diminish a subject.
  • Types of Harmony:
    • Unity: Parts related by one idea.
    • Variety: Use of two or more design elements to add interest.