Form and Composition PDF

FORM AND COMPOSITION A.) THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN ARE THE PHYSICAL PARTS OF THE ARTWORK, OR THE FORM. B.) THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH THOSE PARTS ARE ARRANGED OR USED, OR THE COMPOSITION. 6 BASIC ELEMENTS OF DESIGN 1. LINE-it is the first order element of design. A line is an...

FORM AND COMPOSITION A.) THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN ARE THE PHYSICAL PARTS OF THE ARTWORK, OR THE FORM. B.) THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH THOSE PARTS ARE ARRANGED OR USED, OR THE COMPOSITION. 6 BASIC ELEMENTS OF DESIGN 1. LINE-it is the first order element of design. A line is an infinite series of points that are arranged in a direction. The direction of a line may be straight (unchanging) or curved (changing). All kinds of objects are linear, or predominantly formed by using lines. TUGHRA-Calligraphic signature of Sultan Contour is the line where differing areas meet and form edges. Human visual perception includes an enhanced ability to detect edges in nature. Contour lines follow the shapes of objects where they stand out from backgrounds.  Crosshatching is the use of uniformly spaced intersecting lines that. create the perception of value or light and dark. These crosshatching lines generally follow the shape of an object. Nude Male Figure with a Sword By: Alexandre Cabane  Some lines are not drawn at all. Instead, they are Implied lines or. suggested by an intentional alignment of shapes. The image of the square inside the circle is an example of implied line. Line is not just a two-dimensional design element. For example, wire is a linear medium that can be extended into three dimensions. Alexander Calder’s wire sculptures and portraits are fine examples of the expressive power of line in three dimensions  2.Shape-it has two dimensions, length and width. Shapes can be regular or irregular, simple or complex. Shapes can have hard or soft edges. Hard- edged shapes have clearly defined boundaries, while soft-edged shapes slowly fade into their backgrounds. There are two broad categories of shape: geometric and organic. Geometric shapes are regular and ordered shapes using straight lines and curves. Organic shapes are generally irregular and often chaotic.  Untitled (Collage with Squares Arranged according to the Laws of Chance) By: Jean Hans Arp  In two-dimensional artworks, shapes are figures placed on a two-dimensional surface that is known as a ground. This creates a relationship between foreground and background known as the figure/ground relation. The figure is the object that appears to be in front of the ground. In some artworks this relationship is intentionally unclear. In this case, an effect known as figure/ ground reversal can occur. In figure/ground reversal, what was seen as the positive shape of the figure can also be seen as the negative space of the ground. This effect disrupts the sense of space in an artwork and disorients the viewer Escher Woodcut II Strip 3, Maurits Cornelis  3.MASS/VOLUME- Volume has three dimensions: length, width, and height. Volumes may have interior or exterior contours, and they may be closed or open in form. Mass is the quantity of matter, often meaning its weight. A closed form is a volume that is not pierced or perforated. Sphinx of Hatshepsut  To convey the three dimensionality, mass and volume, of forms on a flat surface, artists use chiaroscuro (Italian: “clear-dark”) or varying shades of light and dark. As a form turns toward a light source it appears brighter, and as it turns away from the light source it appears darker; the shift in light and shadow creates the illusion of volume in space. The face and hands of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa are considered masterpieces of chiaroscuro. St. Jerome By: Caravaggio 4. PERSPECTIVE in art is the illusion of space on a flat surface. Before the discovery of the geometric system of linear perspective in fifteenth-century Italy, the illusion of space was created by using three main visual cues to the recession of space. These three cues are height, scale, and overlap. Objects that are higher on the drawing surface, objects that are smaller in scale, and objects that are partially obscured by other objects all appear further away in space. Height, Scale, and Overlap  5. TEXTURE- The term texture describes the surface quality of an artwork. Texture is an important element of design because it engages the sense of touch as well as vision. Objects can be rough or smooth, wet or dry, sticky or slick, hard or soft, brittle or flexible. The two main approaches to texture are actual texture and implied or simulated texture. Actual texture is primarily—though not exclusively— sculptural, while implied texture is primarily used in two-dimensional works of art. Belshazzar’s Feast by Rembrandt Van Rijn 6. COLOR-It is the most prominent element of design and it is one of the most powerful and yet subjective elements in art. Color as perceived by humans can be broken into three discrete parts: hue, saturation, and brightness. Hue is the wavelength of a given color. Longer wavelength colors appear on the red end of the spectrum, while shorter wavelength colors are on the violet end. Hue is the color “name,” e.g., red, yellow, blue, green, etc. Color can be either subtractive or additive. Saturation is the purity of a color and ranges from a neutral gray to the pure color while holding brightness as a constant. Brightness is the lightness or darkness of a color and ranges from fully illuminated (the pure hue) to fully darkened (black). HSV Color Model Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, Facade (Sunset)by Claude Monet Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh  B. PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN  The principles of design are he various ways in which those elements or components are arranged to produce a desired effect. There are as many ways to approach the arrangement of the elements of art as there are artists. Each work of art is unique in its conception, design, and execution. Becoming aware of the principles of design in a work of art allows the viewer to add depth to the analysis of those works. These are five principles of design. 1. Unity/Variety  Unity/variety is found in similarity, while variety is found in difference. A design that shows unity is one in which the elements of the work or relations between the elements are similar or identical. Leonardo’s Mona Lisa is considered a breakthrough in Italian Renaissance art because the soft edges of the figure are similar in approach to the soft tones of the muted background, thus unifying the image. A design that shows variety is one in which the elements of the work are varied in size, color, shape, or some other attribute. MONA LISA By: Lenardo da Vinci 2. Scale/Proportion  The design principle of scale and proportion is the issue of size of elements both individually and in relation to other elements. A famous example of the subtle use of scale is the relative size of the figures in Michelangelo’s Pieta. Another use of scale and proportion is the use of forced perspective. It is the arrangement of figure and ground that distorts the scale of objects, making small objects appear large or large objects appear small by juxtaposing them with opposites. Forced perspective is most convincing when done photographically. Pietà By: Michelangelo The sculpture is a depiction of Mary holding the body of her son Jesus after His crucifixion. If we measure the bodies of Jesus and Mary from heel to knee, knee to hip, and so on, and then compare them, we find that Mary is larger than Jesus. In addition, the figure of Mary is out of proportion, that is, the sizes of the parts of her body are not in alignment. This unusual use of scale and proportion serves to infantilize Jesus in order to subtly emphasize the mother/child relationship. 3. Balance  The design principle of balance is the issue of visual “weight.” Design elements like lines and shapes can attract our attention in a number of ways. For example, they can be brightly colored, they can be large in relation to other similar shapes, or they can be textured in unusual ways. Compositional balance is achieved when these competing visual weights are roughly equivalent. There are two kinds of compositional balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical. The lines and shapes in a composition that uses the principle of symmetrical balance are usually equally arranged around an axis, or central line. The Sacrament of the Last Supper, by Salvador Dali (1904-1989, Spain), notice the balance of like forms to the left and right of the central figure of Jesus.  Asymmetrical balance is achieved when visual weights do not correspond to one another in shape, size, or placement; they are not distributed equally in a composition. The woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849, Japan) and Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906, France) are good examples of asymmetrical compositions. The woodblock print which is “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849, Japan) and Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906, France) are good examples of asymmetrical compositions. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906, France) 4. Emphasis/Movement  The design principle of emphasis or movement is the intentional use of directional forces to move the viewer’s attention through a work of art. When we see a color shift within a shape, this implies movement. And, when we see a line in a work of art, we are compelled to follow it. For example, arrows of any shape will signify direction and are widely used in advertising to attract and direct the attention of potential customers. There are more subtle means of moving a viewer’s attention through a work of art. Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden (1404-1464, Belgium) uses the positions of the figures’ arms, legs, and heads to trace the infinity symbol, which resembles the number 8 laying on its side. This subtle reminder of Christ’s everlasting life is meant to reassure and give hope to the faithful gazing upon this scene of death and grieving. 5. Rhythm/Repetition  The design principle of rhythm is the repetition of visual elements to establish a pattern. This pattern can then be used to provide a stage for a special object, or the pattern can be interrupted to direct attention to the change.  Campbell’s Soup Cans By: Andy Warhol. In his commentary of mass consumer culture, Andy Warhol’s use of repetition compels us to notice the small differences between the apparently identical elements of his installation of paintings, 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans. THANK YOU!