Monkey puzzle keith haring colors

Unit III Art Gallery: Visual Elements

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Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Interpret artworks using the elements of design. 3.1 Interpret the type of visual expression using different media and forms. 3.2 Name technical devices used to render space and volume in painting. 3.3 Classify the physical properties and relationship of color.

Reading Assignment Chapter 3: The Visual Elements Click here to access the Unit III video titled “Introduction to Color: Using Color in Your Presentation.” Click here to access the printable transcript. In Unit III and IV of this course, you will watch a video on visual elements. Click here to access the segment for Unit III. Mouton, M. (2013). Visual literacy elements and principles [YouTube video]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqdA9YnxyoM&feature=youtu.be Click here to access the video transcript.

Unit Lesson Chapter 3: The Visual Elements Artists typically do not go through the visual elements as a checklist when they create their work. However, the terms that we will be discussing in this chapter are a great way to dissect how we look at art. You might not realize it, but you already see and understand the visual elements although you may not know the correct terminology for what you see in the artwork. In this chapter, you will look further into the visual elements that make up an artwork. Artworks usually contain most of these because this is literally how we see objects and artwork. Line: The line is the primary means of visual communication, and we see lines everywhere. You may not realize it, but your eyes are constantly following lines. We are always “reading” our surroundings. We “draw” with our eyes whenever we see the edges of objects as lines. The edges of walls are lines that guide our path around the room, lines on the road direct us where to go, and when we are waiting, we wait in lines. In art and nature, lines are considered to be a path of action; they are records of energy left by moving points. Lines can also have many characteristics. The edges of a rose are soft and round whereas, the lines that make up lightning are very irregular and jagged. If you were to think of a line as being aggressive, would the line be jagged and irregular or soft and curvy? We also know when a line is calm and at rest or when the line is alert—think of the ocean. When an ocean is calm, the waves and horizon are horizontal, but when the ocean is not calm, the horizon is jagged, and the waves are vertical. Another type of line is an implied line—similar to edges of objects. Think of desks in a classroom. They are lined up, but there is no outline; it is an implied line. Our eyes connect objects that are in a row. If you hang a few pictures on the wall, you can usually tell if one does not line up because our eyes are always drawing

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

The Visual Elements

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14B/UnitIII_Video.mp4
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14B/UnitIII_Videoscript.pdf
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14B/UnitIII_VisualElements.mp4
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14B/UnitIII_VisualElementsVideoTranscript.pdf
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connections. This is how a line can guide us through an artwork. Our eyes follow the lines and points of an artwork; this is what holds our attention longer and makes us look deeper. Shape: Lines are at edges of objects or shapes. Shapes are probably not a new term or topic for most of you. In the art world, we think of the characteristics of shapes. Does the shape have angles? Does it look geometric like the stars, circles, and squares we saw when we were toddlers, or is the shape organic? Are the edges irregular, are the sides imperfect, and does it look as if we might find it in nature? When referring to two-dimensional (2-D) art, the shape takes up space in the picture plane or flat artwork that we are looking at. Most of the time, when we talk about picture planes, we are discussing the scene in a painting, drawing, movie, or photo. The picture plane is basically what is going on inside the frame. In the picture plane of a painting of flowers in a vase, the flowers and the vase take up space. They are the objects in the painting, and they make up the positive space. The background, or space behind the flowers in the vase, would be our negative space because it is not taking up visual room; it is allowing the flowers to do that. Many artists take advantage of the figure and ground in paintings; they like to reverse it slowly. When we look at the work of M. C. Escher (page 41 of your textbook and included below), this provides us with a great definition of figure ground reversal, and this might help you understand the figure and ground relationship better. The objects in the artwork slowly turn in to the background, and the background becomes the object. How does your perception change what you see in the artwork?

The objects, or mass, in a 2-D artwork must be implied; however, the shape of a 3-D artwork is mass. Mass of a 3-D object can have numerous characteristics. Egyptian sculptures tend to be closed forms; they do not interact with the space around them. Egyptians did this in order for the sculpture to be stronger, and since Egyptian sculptures were usually representing gods, they wanted the sculpture and what it represents to be immortal. If a sculpture interacts with the space around it, it is an open form. Open forms tend to make us think about our own space and how the sculpture interacts with it and us (Frank, 2014b). When a sculpture or mass is so large that it encloses space, the space is called volume. Buildings, for example, take up mass and enclose space. When we are outside of a building, it has mass. Inside of the building, we are in space, and this can be difficult to convey with words and pictures (Frank, 2014b). To experience 3-D space, we must be in it. Architects are very concerned with space. Will a person feel comfortable within it? Will the space be adequate for the building? How well will the space work? When we see space on a 2-D surface, we see all the space at once. Space in a 2-D work is the picture surface, or picture plane, and a variety of spaces can be implied within these boundaries. For an artist to show correct space in a 2-D surface, they must show clues to imply depth. Artists can use simple overlapping and size differences to imply depth, or they can use linear perspective to show space that involves many lines. During the Renaissance, artists began using mathematical systems of

M. C. Escher, Sky and Water I, 1938, Woodcut, 17 1/8 inches by 17 1/4 inches (Frank, 2014a, slide 23)

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perspective; they wanted their 2-D art to be a window on the world (Frank, 2014b). Linear perspective uses lines that converge to show depth and space. When you look around the inside of a room, lines make up the edges of walls and furniture. All of these lines and edges in the room are at angles that are converging to meet at our eye level/vanishing point. Looking at the diagram in your textbook on page 46, notice that the lines meet at a vanishing point. We perceive this to be correct because this is how we see in reality. When we drive down the road, the lines of the road meet out in front of us, we know that the road is not ending; it is just an optical illusion. Our point of view is how we see things, and the horizon line is our eye level. There is another kind of perspective technique that shows space—atmospheric perspective (Frank, 2014b). Artists can show space without lines merging toward the vanishing point because the artists use color or shading to show space. When we look out at landscape, we know objects are farther away because the color changes. Brighter colors tend to be closer, and objects that are farther away become lighter and dull. Time and motion: Not all aspects of reality can be easily shown in artwork. Our environment combines time and motion, which can be hard to convey. Passage of time can be shown through comics, calendars, and movies, but showing time in other forms of art can result in the artwork’s meaning being confused. There are many sculptures that have actual motion, such as kinetic sculptures by Alexander Calder called mobiles (page 53 and shown below). These sculptures actually move with air currents. Other sculptures that cannot move have to show implied motion. Another way of showing time is the actual versus perceptual use of time in a film (Frank, 2014b).

Light: Light illuminates objects and is a constant in art, but we may not realize how the artist controls light to affect our mood. Basically, light can change our perspectives. Value, in art, refers to the lightness or darkness of a surface. In order for a 2-D artwork to be clear, the artist needs to have objects lit but also shaded, so we know when the object changes. If a portrait was all extremely light, it would be hard to see the characteristics on the face. Sculptors control light with the way they sculpt the object. Light hits the surfaces and creates shadows or highlights, and we can see the changes on the surface (Frank, 2014b). Two-dimensional artists need to show implied light in their artwork because most 2-D artwork is not lit from within. Chiaroscuro is a term used to refer to how an artist shows shape by shading it from light to dark. Value in an artwork can also affect our moods; a very dark artwork can seem depressing or dramatic. Artists can also use light itself as a medium, and some artists use neon lights to “draw” their artwork. The neon lights can work as lines that our eyes follow, so light not only effects how we see an artwork, but it can also be the artwork. Color: How do you respond to color in your day-to-day life? Does everyone respond the same way to colors? Sometimes we even use colors to describe how we feel. How an artist uses color can affect our moods, thoughts, and actions. Have you noticed that logos for cold drinks are blue or that fast food places usually use yellow, orange, or red (warm colors to make us think of warm food)? Color exists only in light, yet light has no color. When we see a prism reflect light, all of a sudden we can see all of the colors that make up light. We can see a yellow vase because of light, and the reason that the vase looks yellow is because it reflects the

Alexander Calder. Untitled, 1972, aluminum and steel, 358 3/8 inches by 911 5/8 inches. (Frank, 2014a, slide 63)

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color yellow and absorbs the other colors that are in light. Light has no color, but objects do, right? Objects reflect the color that they do not absorb.

References Frank, P. (2014a). Chapter 3: The visual elements [PowerPoint slides]. Boston, MA: Pearson Frank, P. (2014b). Prebles’ artforms: An introduction to the visual arts (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson

Suggested Reading If you would like to study the content from the required reading further, consider reviewing the below PowerPoint presentations. The presentations include images of the artwork discussed in the chapter and explanations: Click here to access the Chapter 3 PowerPoint Presentation. Click here for a PDF version of the presentation.

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Before completing your graded work, consider practicing with the learning activities provided below. Use of Color Below is Keith Haring’s artwork, Monkey Puzzle. Explain the use of color in this artwork.

The Ingredients of an Artwork Just as a good cook assembles the perfect ingredients for a delicious recipe, an artist assembles the right elements for a successful artwork. Contemplate an artwork and make a recipe of the composition. For example, Chagall’s artwork I and the Village (page 40) contains implied lines, organic shape, complementary colors, arbitrary color, and shallow space. Choose a piece of artwork from Chapter 3, and explain the elements (or ingredients) that create this work of art. Be sure to utilize the terminology covered in this unit.

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14B/Chapter3_Presentation.ppsx
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/General_Studies/ART/ART1301/14