What is Art?

Definition of Art

• Aristotle said art completes what nature cannot and gives knowledge of nature's unrealized ends.
• Michelangelo thought the true work of art is only a shadow of divine perfection.
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stated that art is a mediator of the unspeakable.
• Paul Gauguin saw art as a mad search for individualism.
• Bertolt Brecht expressed that art isn't a mirror to reality but a hammer to shape it.
• Art expresses ideas, imagination, and emotions through the use of the human body.

Characteristics of Art

• Art is man-made.
• Art is unique.
• Art has aesthetics.

Types of Art

• Painting is a type of art
• Sculpture is a type of art
• Architecture is a type of art
• Literature is a type of art
• Music is a type of art
• Dance is a type of art
• Theatre is a type of art
• Film is a type of art

Elements of Art

• Space refers to the distances or areas around, between, and within components of a piece.
• Painters imply space, photographers capture space, sculptors rely on space and form, and architects build space.
• Positive space refers to the subject of a piece.
• Negative space refers to the empty spaces the artist has created around, between, and within the subjects.
• Line indicates direction, orientation, movement, and energy, considered the oldest, simplest, universal element.
• A vertical line is a basic framework of all forms representing power, strength, stability, simplicity, and efficiency.
• A horizontal line creates an impression of serenity and perfect stability, rest, calmness, peace and repose.
• A jagged line represents violence, confusion, and conflict.
• A curved line represents a gradual change of direction, fluidity, and signifies subtle form.
• Shape is an enclosed space, a bounded two-dimensional form with both length and width.
• Boundaries are defined by other elements of art, such as line and space.
• Organic shapes are based on natural or living forms and can be irregular.
• Geometric shapes are based on measured forms.
• Form connotes something that is three-dimensional and encloses volume, having length, width, and height.
• Geometric forms are mathematical, precise, and can be named, like sphere, cube, pyramid, cone, and cylinder.
• Organic forms are free-flowing, curvy, sinewy, not symmetrical, and not easily measurable or named.
• Color is produced when light striking an object is reflected back to the eye.
• Color is a sensation, a human reaction to a hue arising from the optic nerve, education, exposure, and human senses.

Classification of Colors

• Primary colors cannot be formed from mixtures; they are pure, such as Red, Blue, and Yellow.
• Secondary colors form from a combination of two primary colors, such as Blue + Yellow = Green, Red + Blue = Violet, and Red + Yellow = Orange.
• Intermediate colors form from mixing one primary and one secondary, such as Yellow + Green = Yellow-green, Red + Violet = Red-violet, and Red + Orange = Red-orange.
• Hue refers to the names assigned to a color.
• Saturation refers to the vividness of a color.
• Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
• Texture is used to describe how a three-dimensional work feels when touched.
• In two-dimensional work, texture may refer to the visual "feel" of a piece.
• Value is relevant to the lightness or darkness of any color and easily visualized in a grayscale artwork.

Principles of Art

• Emphasis in composition is developing points of interest to pull the viewer's eye to important parts of the work.
• Balance is a sense of stability that can be created by repeating shapes and creating a feeling of equal weight.
• Harmony is using similar elements throughout the work, giving an uncomplicated look.
• Variety refers to the differences in the work, achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors, and values.
• Movement adds excitement to a work by showing action and directing the viewer's eye throughout the picture plane.
• Unity is seen when all the parts of a painting or drawing equal a whole.