Elements of Art and Transcreation

• Elements of art are the foundational components utilized by artists in creating artwork.

Elements of Art

• Line provides structure and shape.
• Shape provides the basic forms, organizes elements, and creates patterns.
• Color evokes mood, expresses emotions, and creates visual interest.
• Space determines the relationships between objects in composition.
• Texture enhances the tactile quality.
• Value contrasts between light and dark areas.
• Form adds depth and realism.

Transcreation

• Transcreation involves reinterpreting/adapting creative works to fit new cultural contexts while preserving their essence.
• Vincent Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints; "The Courtesan (after Eisen)," inspired by Keisai Eisen.
• Van Gogh reflects fascination with Japanese art through his unique use of color and style.
• Van Gogh's “Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige)” is directly inspired by a Japanese print by Utagawa Hiroshige.
• Auguste Rodin's “The Thinker” has influenced modern sculpture, adapting expressive forms/themes to address contemporary issues.
• Rodin's work preserves deep emotional and psychological impact.
• Aristide Maillol's “La Nuit, 1902-1909” was inspired by Rodin's style.

Factors Influencing Transcreation

• Distortion changes the characteristics of the original piece, such as its shape, color, or form.
• Transformation changes the medium or context of the original work.
• "The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí might be adapted into a 3D digital model, offering a new way to experience the melting clocks.
• Appropriation uses elements from existing work to create something new.
• In “The Courtesan (after Eisen),” Van Gogh takes Keisai Eisen's Japanese woodblock print and reinterprets it in his own style.

Principles of Art

• Principles of art are fundamental guidelines for organizing elements of art within creations.
• Unity ensures elements in the composition work together to create a cohesive whole.
• "The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli achieves harmonious arrangement of figures, colors, and overall composition.
• Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight in a composition.
• Symmetrical balance has equal weight on both sides of a central axis.
• Asymmetrical balance has unequal balance that still achieves harmony.
• Radial balance happens around a central point to achieve harmony.
• "The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh demonstrates asymmetrical balance with the swirling sky balanced by the village and cypress tree.
• Emphasis refers to the focal point that attracts attention.
• "The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí illustrates the unusual imagery of the clock melting.
• Contrast illustrates the noticeable difference between elements.
• "Composition VIII” by Wassily Kandinsky used contrasting colors, shapes, and sizes.
• Proportion refers to the size relationships between different elements.
• "Vitruvian Man” by Leonardo da Vinci illustrates ideal human proportions based on the writings of the Roman architect Vitruvius.
• Pattern refers to the arrangement of alternated or repeated elements.
• "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai features rhythmic pattern.
• Variety refers to using several elements of design to hold attention.
• "Campbell's Soup Cans” by Andy Warhol used repetition of the soup cans but varied the colors and arrangements.

Rule of Thirds

• The Rule of Thirds divides an image into thirds horizontally and vertically.
• Overlapping areas of the red circles are known as the focal points
• Focal points are used to draw viewer's attention to certain elements.
• Samuel Peploe composed Still Life with Coffee Pot (c. 1905) using Rule of Thirds.

Three Planes of Visual Communication

• Visual communication conveys information through visual elements like images, symbols, and colors.
• Semiotic plane focuses on how signs/symbols create meaning.
• Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) created Saussurean Model of the Sign.
• Sign is the basic unit of meaning in language.

Signifier

• Signifier is the physical form of the sign.
• Red octagon is for a Stop sign
• A green circle is for a Go sign
• A triangular shape is for a Yield sign

Signified

• Signified is the concept that the signifier represents.
• Red Octagon (Stop Sign) represents stopping at an intersection
• Green Circle (Go Sign) represents proceeding or going
• Triangular Shape (Yield Sign) represents yielding
• Iconic plane focuses on how images resemble what they represent
• Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) developed a theory about signs, known as Peircean.
• Icons are signs that resemble the objects they represent.
  • These signs include, a photo of a cat, maps and a picture of a camera on your phone
• Indexes are signs that have a direct connection to their objects.
  • Smoke, as well as, a thermometer
• Symbols are signs that have an arbitrary relationship to their object.
  • Examples include: a red light meaning stop because of social convention and agreement, as well as words like “cat” or “dog
• Contextual plane understands the historical, cultural, and social context to understand the deeper meaning.
• Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) was a German art historian who popularized the iconographic method.

Three Steps of Iconographic Approach

• Primary Level (Pre-iconography) refers to the most basic level of understanding.
  • This focuses on the artwork's composition, color, and style.
• Second Level (Iconography) recognizes and interprets symbols and specific themes.
• Third Level (Iconological Analysis) examines the deeper symbolic, cultural meanings and historical aspects.