art 110 wk 1 (intro/chs 1.1,1.2,1.3)

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

INTRODUCTION

ART 110INTRO TO ART

WEEK 1


INTRODUCTION

What Is Art?

Art communicates ideas and emotions by visual means: it is a form of language

Art helps us see the world in new and exciting ways

Art is not made of a defined, prescribed set of media

Art has many purposes

0.1 The Journey of the Sun God Re, detail from the inner coffin of Nespawershefi, Third Intermediate Period, 990–969 BCE. Plastered and painted wood. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England

The Journey of the Sun God Re

• Sun god Re in the underworld at night

• Reflects importance of rivers in Egypt

• Refers to Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife

0.2 William G. Wall, Fort Edward, from The Hudson River Portfolio, 1820. Hand-colored aquatint,14½ × 21⅜”

William G. Wall, Fort Edward

• 1820. Hand-colored aquatint (print) from a watercolor

• Painting by William G. Wall; print by John Hill– Landscape with one small

human figure: a native American woman. Conveys the passing of the native American way of life as a result of the arrival of European settlers

– Reflects nation-building and expansion of 19th-century America

0.3 Louise Nevelson, White Vertical Water, 1972. Painted wood, 18 × 9’. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Louise Nevelson, White Vertical Water

• Not an immediately recognizable portrayal of its subject: river or waterfall, and fish

• By making us look closely, artist evokes sensations of water falling and fish swimming


INTRODUCTION

Where Is Art?

Art is in many places: Objects as diverse as coffins or books

Museums

Parks and public places

Our homes

0.4 Simon Rodia, Watts Towers, 1921–54. Seventeen mortar-covered steel sculptures with mosaic, 99½’ high at tallest point. 1761–1765 East 107th Street, Los Angeles, California

Simon Rodia, Watts Towers

• Made by a construction worker, not a trained artist

• Media: found materials (steel rods, pipes, wire mesh, mortar, broken glass, and pottery)

• Named Nuestro Pueblo by Rodia but now called Watts Towers

• Originally viewed as controversial, but now a National Historic Landmark

0.5 Thomas Jefferson, Virginia State Capitol Building, 1785–8, Court End District, Richmond, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson, Virginia State Capitol Building

• 1785–8

• Civic building modeled on Roman temple in Nîmes, France

• Used symbolic power of ancient Rome to communicate strength of the Republic and its institutions


INTRODUCTION

Who Makes Art?

A single individual or many

Artists or artisans – craftspeople also make beautiful and useful works

Famous or anonymous

Not all artists make their art themselves

Making of art also influenced by patrons who commission it

Can be affected also by training (or lack of): artist as follower of tradition or as innovative genius

0.6 Jeff Koons, Rabbit, 1986. Stainless steel, 41 × 19 × 12”. Edition of 3 and artist’s proof

Jeff Koons, Rabbit

• 1986. Stainless steel

• Jeff Koons had the idea– His employees made the

artwork

0.7 Tea bowl, 16th century. Stoneware with red glaze (Karatsu ware), 3 × 19⅞”. Indianapolis Museum of Art

Tea bowl

• “High art” or craft?

• In Japan ceramic tea bowls highly valued

• Appreciated for subtle variations of color and tactile sensations

• Artist followed a long tradition and well-established methods of working and making

0.8 Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503. Oil on wood, 30⅜ × 20⅞”. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa

• Mona Lisa – Made in an era and in a

culture that valued individual ingenuity

– Portrait not simply a likeness: a meditation on the human soul

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)– Artist as genius: visual

artist, engineer, scientist

0.9 Titian, Isabella d’Este, 1536. Oil on canvas, 40¼ × 25¼”. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Titian, Isabella d’Este

• Art may not be the result of the work of the artist alone: patrons, collectors, dealers, and critics all help determine what art is made

• Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of the city of Mantua, Italy funded many artists– Her money and taste determined

what art was produced– This portrait was painted when

she was in her sixties but because of her influence the artist showed her flatteringly as a youthful beauty


INTRODUCTION

The Value of Art

Value can mean sale price in money

Value can mean rarity or uniqueness

Fame of the artist can influence value

Objects can have a ceremonial or spiritual value

Art can be valuable because it expresses a society’s cherished ideals and identity

Art can be valued for its beauty and power to inspire awe

0.10 Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, 1912. Oil on canvas, 6’2⅞” × 3’11¼”. Private collection

Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer

• Painted by famous artist: Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)

• Wealthy patrons commissioned such portraits

• Portrait sold for $135 million in 2006 (much more than artist was ever paid in his lifetime)

– Value increased because of painting’s controversial history: looted by Nazis and became subject of a lawsuit

– Also by 2006 had become rarer: artist no longer alive and fewer of his works available to buy

– An artist’s achievement often comes to be better appreciated after his or her lifetime, as it is studied and stands the test of time

0.11 Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-portrait, 1630. Oil on copper, 6⅛ × 4¾”. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden

Robert WittmanWhat Is the Value of an Artwork?

• Monetary value of art = price paid by a willing buyer to a willing seller

• Stolen art is worth much less: 10% or less of free market value (it is very hard to resell)

• Rembrandt, Self-portrait – Stolen from Swedish National

Museum in Stockholm in 2000

– Painting was not only by great artist but also very rare: only known portrait by Rembrandt that is painted on copper

– Thieves tried to resell it for $250,000 – less than one percent of its market value – in 2005; painting was thereby recovered by police

0.12 The Lincoln Memorial statue by Daniel Chester French, 1920. Marble, 19’ high. The Mall, Washington, D.C.

Daniel Chester French, The Lincoln Memorial statue

• Memorial dedicated 1922. Statue made of marble

• Lincoln Memorial – Honors a great president –

Abraham Lincoln – Symbolizes and celebrates

American values and identity– Work of three artists:

architect Henry Bacon, sculptor Daniel Chester French, mural painter Jules Guerin

0.13 Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665. Oil on canvas, 17½ × 15⅜”. Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands

Tracy ChevalierArt Inspires a Novel and a Movie

• Portrait titled Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665

• Vermeer portrait inspired Tracy Chevalier’s novel of the same name, which was then made into a movie in 2003– Painting is mysterious: is the girl

happy or sad?– A single, flickering moment

captured in permanent oil paint on canvas

– A static painting but girl never seems to remain the same


INTRODUCTION

Censorship of Art

Art can be very powerful: it can challenge or offend

Art can be censored for many reasons: Because it is pornographic

Because it offends religious beliefs

Because viewers object to its political message

Because it expresses values that others do not share

0.14 Marc Quinn, Self, 1991. Blood (artist’s), stainless steel, perspex, and refrigeration equipment, 81⅞ × 24¾ × 24¾”. Private collection

Marc Quinn, Self

• Self was part of 1999 Sensation exhibition at Brooklyn Museum, which showed controversial works

• Many people objected to another work on show, Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary, for religious reasons

• Mayor Giuliani demanded that work be removed but the museum refused

• Giuliani attempted to evict museum from its building and withhold funding

• Federal court ruled for the museum

0.15 Otto Dix, Kriegeskrueppel (War Cripples), 1920. Drypoint, 12¾ × 19½” (sheet size). MOMA, New York

Otto Dix, Kreigeskrueppel (War Cripples)

• Otto Dix (1891–1969) served in the army during the World War I and recorded his grim experiences of war in his art

• Nazi regime in 1930s Germany objected to modern art that did not promote its goals

• Nazis – Confiscated 21,500 works of art and

destroyed many– Fired artists and museum directors from

jobs– Attempted to ridicule other works,

including Dix’s drawing, in the “Degenerate Art” Exhibition in 1937

• But five times more visitors went to Degenerate Art Exhibition than to a show of Nazi-approved “Great German Art” that was on at the same time


INTRODUCTION

Why Do We Study Art?

There are many ways to see and interpret a work of art

We can analyze art as visual language

What can historical or social context tell us about art?

Alternatively, can art teach us something about history and culture?

Does art reflect its creator’s opinions?

0.16 Winslow Homer, Prisoners from the Front, 1866. Oil on canvas, 24 × 38”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Winslow Homer, Prisoners from the Front

• Visual analysis: how does the artist direct the viewer’s eye, what colors did he choose, and why?

• How does the painting reflect its historical moment?

• How does the painting reflect the artist’s views?

• What can we learn by comparing it with other paintings of war?

0.17 Eugène Delacroix, The Massacre at Chios, 1824. Oil on canvas, 13’8” × 11’7⅜”. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Eugène Delacroix, The Massacre at Chios

• Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was a French painter who worked in the Romantic style

• Historical context: conflict between Greeks and Turks. The painting depicts a massacre of Greek people by Turks (the event was a reprisal for Greek destruction of Turkish mosques)

• Is Delacroix’s painting objective or biased?

• How does the painting reflect the opinions of its audience, who were Europeans?

• How does the artist influence our own reaction to the painting?

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


VideoThe Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife

0.18 Carved ivory mask-shaped hip pendant, mid-16th century. Ivory inlaid with iron and bronze, 9⅝ × 5 × 2⅜”. British Museum, London, England

Carved ivory mask-shaped hip pendant, Benin, Africa

• Viewer’s eye directed downward to concentrate on the woman’s beauty

• Made of rare materials for a wealthy king

• Now displayed in a museum case but originally decoration on a king’s belt

• Symbolism of Portuguese heads and mudfish carved around the top of the headdress, once we are aware of it, adds to our appreciation of the pendant

PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios

INTRODUCTION

STUDY QUESTIONSINTRODUCTION

• 1. Hokusai is said to have used a live chicken’s footprints in a painting that communicated ______.

• a. the artist’s views on animal rights• b. the sensations of a fall day by the river• c. the artist’s views on Japanese politics• d. Buddhist ideas about the meaning of life• e. all of the above

2. William G. Wall’s print Fort Edward is a vehicle for expressing the artist’s thoughts about ______.

• a. the expansion and development of America

• b. the beauty of the American landscape

• c. the struggles between Native and European Americans

• d. all of the above• e. none of the above

• 3. Western artists since the Renaissance have usually considered ______ to be the highest forms of art.

• a. painting and ceramics• b. painting and calligraphy• c. sculpture and painting• d. sculpture and furniture• e. none of the above

• 4. During his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh ______.

• a. opened a museum in his native Netherlands• b. sold a single painting for millions of dollars• c. produced more than 10,000 paintings,

drawings, and watercolors• d. practiced as an artist for only ten years• e. all of the above

• 5. Traditionally, artists in China learned their craft by ______.

• a. copying the work of a great master• b. attending a school or academy that taught artistic

technique• c. practicing painting in the open air without a teacher• d. producing still life drawings that were sold to local

people• e. traveling to Beijing and looking at art in museums

and galleries

• 6. Stolen art loses much of its value because ______.

• a. art is only valuable if the public can come to see it• b. the thieves are likely to damage the artwork• c. lacking good title and proper provenance prevents

its resale• d. reputable auction houses will pay only 10% of the

market value• e. the Mafia are not art experts and do not understand

its true value

• 7. African masks displayed in museums were originally made ______.

• a. to be worn during spiritual or magic ceremonies• b. to be worn during elaborate tea-drinking

ceremonies• c. to be exchanged as gifts with people from other

communities• d. to be displayed as beautiful, finely crafted museum

objects• e. for sale to European travelers

• 8. Art is sometimes censored by the authorities because:

• a. it offends people’s religious beliefs.• b. its sexual content seems pornographic.• c. it carries a political message that worries

the authorities.• d. its moral values seem improper.• e. all of the above

9. The Nazis’ Degenerate Art Exhibition contained work that ______.

• a. offended most of the German people

• b. attracted a large number of visitors

• c. was bought for Adolf Hitler’s personal collection

• d. depicted the beauty of the German landscape

• e. encouraged viewers to join the military

10. The Turkish soldiers in Delacroix’s painting The Massacre at Chios are shown wearing turbans because the artist wanted ______.

• a. the Turks to seem exotic and attractive

• b. the Turks to seem exotic and frightening

• c. to show his skill at depicting bright colors and elaborate fabrics

• d. to focus our attention on the Turks rather than the Greeks

• e. to represent accurately contemporary fashions

ART 110

LINE/SHAPE/CONTRAST

Chapter 1.1

Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Two-Dimensional Art

Elements of art The basic vocabulary of art Line is a fundamental element of art

Principles of art The “grammar” of art A set of rules an artist uses to organize his or her design

Two-dimensional art Is flat Has height and width, but not depth Includes drawing, painting, graphic design, and printmaking


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Definition and Functions of Line

Connects two points

Defines the boundaries between planes

Defines shapes

Directs the viewer’s eye

Conveys a sense of movement and energy

Spider, Nazca, Peru

• Known as the Nazca Lines• Located on the high desert plains

of Peru • Enormous scale

– Spider is 150 feet long– Can only be seen from the sky

(discovered by aircraft)

• Created by scraping off dark gravel, revealing the white gypsum that lies just beneath the surface

• Possibly made using string attached to posts as guidelines

Ducal Palace and Piazzetta,Venice, Italy

• This photograph shows the Ducal Palace in Venice

• It shows the division between the top of the building and the blue sky

• But there is no line to indicate the division between the two

•(just the implied line created by the tips of the triangles at the top of the building)

1.2b Canaletto, The Maundy Thursday Festival before the Ducal Palace in Venice, 1763/6. Pen and brown ink with gray wash, heightened with white gouache, 15⅛ x 21¾”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Canaletto, The Maundy Thursday Festival before the Ducal Palace in Venice

• The artist uses line to show where the building meetsthe sky

• Line also gives a feeling of depth and texture to the work

• The artist indicates information that would not otherwise be apparent by using line (for example, accentuating the pattern on the facade)

1.3 CLAMP, page from the Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, volume 21, page 47

CLAMP, page from the Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

• Line can communicate direction and movement

• Directional lines converge in the upper section of the image

• Then our attention is directed to the figure at the left who is being blasted by an explosion

• The strong diagonal lines add an intense feeling of movement– CLAMP is a mangaka (group of

Manga artists)


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Lines to Regulate and Control

The variety of different types of line is virtually infinite

Whether straight or curved, a line can be regular and carefully measured

Regular lines express control and planning

Regulated line communicates objectivity and accuracy

1.4 Mel Bochner, Vertigo, 1982. Charcoal, Conté crayon, and pastel on canvas, 9’ x 6’2”. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Mel Bochner, Vertigo

• Mel Bochner used ruled line in his work Vertigo from 1982

• The lines, created with a straightedge, imply mechanical planning

• Bochner contradicts the sense of control by applying the regular lines in a hectic crossing pattern that creates a contrasting feeling of disarray

• Like a machine gone out of whack

1.5 Barbara Hepworth, Drawing for Sculpture (with color), 1941. Pencil and gouache on paper mounted on board, 14 x 16”.Private collection

Barbara Hepworth, Drawing for Sculpture

• Hepworth used regular line to plan sculptures

• Lines represent feelings and sensations in her work– “I rarely draw what I see. I draw what

I feel in my body.”

• The artist projects four views of the planned work

• Hepworth has revealed the kind of lines that she feels, rather than sees

• The drawing is a translation of feelings into visual form

• The feelings are then translated into a sculpture


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Lines to Express Freedom and Passion

Lines can be irregular, reflecting the wildness of nature, chaos, and accident

Such lines—free and unrestrained—seem passionate and full of feelings that are otherwise hard to express

1.6 André Masson, Automatic Drawing, 1925–6. Ink on paper, 12 x 9½”. Musée National d’Art Moderne. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

André Masson, Automatic Drawing

• These lines reflect Masson’s drawing and thinking process

• He wanted to express the subconscious

• Masson would go for days without food or sleep

• He believed that this would allow him to exploredeep-rooted sources of creativity and truth

• The drawings are free, spontaneous expressions

1.7 Jean Dubuffet, Suite avec 7 Personnages, 1981. Ink on paper, 13¾ x 16⅞”. Private collection

Jean Dubuffet, Suite avec 7 Personnages

• Uses an uninhibited style

• Lines are irregular and loose

• In spite of its chaotic appearance, the work is orderly

Regular and Irregular Lines

• Most works use both regular and irregular lines

1.8 George Bellows, Woodstock Road, Woodstock, New York, 1924. Black crayon on wove paper, image 6⅛ x 8⅞”, sheet 9¼ x 12⅜”. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

George Bellows, Woodstock Road

• Combines irregular lines of sky with regular lines of architecture

• This work appears to be a preliminary sketch for another work

• Center bottom inscription:– “all lights as high as possible /

get color out of shadows.”– Probably written as a reminder

of details to come


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Implied Line

Line can be implied by a series of marks

Implied line gives us the impression we are seeing a line where there is no continuous mark

No actual solid line is present; just the idea of a line is created

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.9 Actual and Implied Lines

Pentateuch with Prophetical Readings and the Five Scrolls

• Implied lines are created with small passages of text

• Detail of work shows the lines of text

• The added text is more than decoration– Tiny text is a masorah– Provides pronunciation

and intonation guidance

1.10 Franco-German hand, Pentateuch with Prophetical Readings and the Five Scrolls, 13th–14th century. Illustrated manuscript. British Library, London, England

1.11 Detail of Pentateuch with Prophetical Readings and the Five Scrolls

Sauerkids, The Devil Made Me Do It

• Implied line influences visual rhythms in this design

• Dashes and grid imply horizontal and vertical lines

• Title of work is spelled out using implied lines– Sauerkids is the name used

by a pair of Dutch designers– Their names are Mark Moget

and Taco Sipma

1.12 Sauerkids, The Devil Made Me Do It, 2006. Digital image, 16½ x 8¼”


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Directional Line

Artists can use line to direct a viewer’s attention to a particular part of a work

Goya, The Third of May, 1808Using Line to Guide the Viewer’s Eye

• Directional lines can be either actual or implied

• Goya uses implied line to direct the viewer’s gaze

• Directional line is used in these instances:– (A) Actual line directs the viewer from

left to right where sky meets the lighted hillside

– (B) An implied line created by the feet of the soldiers leads right to left

– (C) A shadow at the bottom continues the same direction

– (D) and (E) Direct the viewer upward toward (A)

• The strong horizontal of the rifles draws attention to victims

• 1.13 slide 1: Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’4⅜” x 11’3⅞”.

• Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

1.13 slide 2: Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’4⅜” x 11’3⅞”. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

1.14 James Allen, The Connectors, 1934. Etching, 12⅞ x 9⅞”. British Museum, London, England

James Allen, The Connectors

• The viewer’s attention is directed downward as the lines of the girders get closer toward the bottom of the image

• This accentuates the great height– This is a depiction of construction

workers– Shows the Empire State Building

being built– Tallest building in the world when

completed– Background buildings add to

feeling of great height


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Contour Line

A contour is the outer edge or profile of an object

Contour lines can suggest a volume in space by giving us clues about the changing character of a surface

1.15 Egon Schiele, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Standing, with Hands on Hips, 1915. Black crayon on paper, 18 x 11¼”. Private collection

Egon Schiele, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Standing, with Hands on Hips

• The work is drawn almost entirely using contour lines

• Fingers and shirtsleeves are drawn with great economy

• Lines of hair vary in thickness and regularity

• Lines suggest an organic surface

• Machine-like pattern of clothing, contrasting with the other lines, helps to reinforce expression of organic surface


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Communicative Line

The directions of lines both guide our attention and suggest particular feelings

Vertical lines tend to communicate strength and energy

Horizontal lines can suggest calmness and passivity

Diagonal lines are associated with action, motion,and change

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.16 Communicative qualities of line

1.17 Carolyn Davidson, Nike Company logo, 1971

Carolyn Davidson,Nike Company logo

• Diagonals can express the excitement of athletic activity

• Conveys action with a shape comprising a stylized, diagonal line

1.18 Vincent van Gogh, The Bedroom, 1889. Oil on canvas, 28¾ x 36¼”. Art Institute of Chicago

Vincent van Gogh, The Bedroom

• Line gives an unsettling energy to this painting of a bedroom– Lines that make up the floor are

strong verticals• Suggests that Van Gogh’s bedroom

was not a calm place of rest• Floor also changes in color and

value, adding anxiety• Strong verticals combine with

diagonals to add to uneasiness

• Van Gogh committed suicide in 1890 (the following year)

• He died in this bed


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Shape: Geometric and Organic Shapes

A shape is a two-dimensional area the boundaries of which are defined by lines or suggested by changes in color or value

Shapes can be classified into two types: geometric and organic

Organic shapes are made up of unpredictable, irregular lines that suggest the natural world

A geometric shape is mathematically regular and precise

1.19 Geometric and Organic Shapes

1.20 Miriam Schapiro, Baby Blocks, 1983. Collage on paper, 29⅞ x 30”. University of South Florida Collection, Tampa

Miriam Schapiro, Baby Blocks

• Named for a popular quilting pattern• The organic shapes of the flowers

are clearly distinct from the hard geometric shapes of the “blocks” and the red frame

• The floral shapes have an irregularity that reflects the kind of shape we find in living things

• The geometric regularity of the blocks acts as a foil to the organic shapes casually arranged “on” them

– Shapiro calls these works “femmages” (homages to the work of women

– This work is a collage, or a work assembled by gluing pieces


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Implied Shape

Implied shapes are shapes we can see where no continuous boundary exists

Just as line can be implied, so too can shape

1.21 Implied shapes

1.22 Saul Bass, Bass & Yager, AT&T logo, 1984

Saul Bass, Bass & Yager, AT&T logo

• Uses horizontal lines to imply a sphere or globe

• Twelve horizontal lines are trimmed to form a circle

• The image is simple, creating an appropriately meaningful and readily recognizable symbol for a global company– The AT&T logo was created in

the 1980s by American graphic designer Saul Bass


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Contrast

When an artist uses two noticeably different states of an element, he or she is applying the principle of contrast

Strong differences in the state of an element can be a very useful effect for an artist to use

It is especially effective to use opposites

1.23a Shepard Fairey, Obey, 1996. Campaign poster

1.23b Shepard Fairey, Obey, 1996. View of the posters as they were installed in public

Shepard Fairey, Obey

• Black features and the blank white space contrast with and complement each other

• The contrast between positive and negative shapes draws our attention– Fairey wants strong impact because

he needs to catch his audience’s attention quickly as they pass by

– The image is based on Andre the Giant, a professional wrestler (Fessick in The Princess Bride)

– Fairey posted these images in public spaces as an act of street theater and guerrilla marketing

1.24 Georgia O’Keeffe, Music—Pink and Blue II, 1919. Oil on canvas, 35 x 29⅛”. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Georgia O’Keeffe, Music—Pink and Blue II

• Shapes derive from a close observation of organic objects

• Emphasis on the negative blue shape in the bottom right of the picture

• Positive shape of the pink arc above– O’Keeffe’s paintings use landscape

and flower shapes to make associations with the female body

– The interplay of positive and negative space becomes symbolic of the erotic and life-giving nature of womanhood

1.25 Al Grivetti, Big Ten logo, 1991

Al Grivetti,Big Ten logo

• Graphic designers use negative shape to convey information subtly

• The alternation of positive and negative shape communicates the new and old titles of the conference in a single image– Al Grivetti ingeniously inserted

the number “11” in the negative space on either side of the capital “T”

1.26 M. C. Escher, Sky and Water I, 1938. Woodcut, 17⅛ x 17⅜”. The M. C. Escher Company, Netherlands

M. C. Escher, Sky and Water I

• The negative shape changes from white in the upper part of the picture to black in the lower

• The most refined version of each animal occurs at the top and bottom extremes of the image

• Each refined version becomes more vague until it transforms into the negative ground of the other

• This is a figure–ground reversal


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


Conclusion

Artists use line, shape, and contrast to communicate in two dimensions

Within two dimensions we can communicate nearly every interaction in mankind’s history of understanding

1.27 Banner of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212–50. Silk and gilt thread tapestry, 10’10” x 7’2⅝”. Monasterio de las Huelgas, Museo de Telas Medievales, Burgos, Spain

Banner of Las Navas de Tolosa• The banner is composed of a central

medallion surrounded by several concentric shapes

• The free-flowing and vigorous letterforms create strong horizontal implied lines

• Uses contrasting positive and negative shape as a series of patterned organic shapes

• Multitude of simple shapes combines to create a masterpiece of complexity

• Made during the time when Spain was under Islamic rule

• It is supposed to have been captured in battle from the Muslim occupying forces

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios


1.The dark printed words on the page of a book are easily read because they are printed on a light ground. This is an example of the principle of ________.

a. harmony

b. variety

c. contrast

d. proportion

e. emphasis

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. These 1300-year-old South American drawings, which include an enormous image of a spider, were first discovered by overflying commercial aircraft because they are so huge.

a. Nazca Lines b. Pampas Incisions c. Amazon Sketches d. Rio Etchings e. Andean Carvings


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


2. Line can be used as a tool to __________ . a. demarcate boundaries b. imply direction c. give a sense of surface d. indicate movement e. all of the above answers

• a. sculpture• b. fibers• c. ceramics• d. performance• e. video

3. Barbara Hepworth uses line to plan and visualize her three-dimensional artwork. What kind of three-dimensional artwork does she produce?

4. This artist would sometimes go for days without food or sleep in an attempt to explore the deep-rooted sources of creativity and truth.

• a. George Bellows• b. Canaletto• c. Andre Masson• d. CLAMP• e. Sauerkids

5. Dashes and grids in The Devil Made Me Do It, by Sauerkids, are a good example of this kind of line.

• a. Directional• b. Implied• c. Actual• d. Rhythmic• e. Organic

6. In the work The Connectors, the artist James Allen uses this kind of line to draw the viewer’s attention to the great height that faced the builders of the Empire State

Building.

• a. Directional• b. Organic• c. Implied• d. Unfettered• e. Irregular

7. Vertical lines tend to communicate __________ .

• a. calmness• b. passivity• c. action• d. strength• e. change

8. This kind of shape is mathematically regular and precise.

• a. Geometric• b. Organic• c. Implied• d. Negative• e. Positive

9. This artist used contrasting positive and negative shapes to create his "Obey" campaign, an expression of guerrilla marketing and street theater.

• a. Canaletto• b. James Allen• c. CLAMP• d. Barbara Hepworth• e. Shepard Fairey

10. Using negative shape, the graphic designer Al Grivetti inserted this number into the Big Ten logo to express the league’s expansion.

• a. 12• b. 10• c. 11• d. 22• e. 42

Chapter 1.2

Three Dimensional Art: Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.2 Three Dimensional Art: Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture


Three Dimensional Art

Three-dimensional works Have height, width, and depth

Pyramids are an example

Possess four of the visual elements: form, volume, mass, and texture

1.28 Three dimensions: height, width, and depth

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Form

Shapes are flat; forms are three-dimensional

Scale refers to the size of an object

Forms have two fundamental attributes: volume and mass

Volume is the amount of space a form occupies

Mass is the expression of solidity

Texture is the sensation of touching Artists sometimes evoke our memory of touch

Materials can communicate ideas

1.29 Great Sphinx of Giza, c. 2650 BCE, Giza, Egypt

Great Sphinx of Giza

• Largest carving in the world from a single stone– Artists sculpted the

living rock– Symbol of the power to

change our surroundings

• Name derived from Greek, not Egyptian, mythology

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Geometric Form

Regular forms, readily expressible in words or numbers

Cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids are simple examples

1.30 Great Pyramid of Khufu, c. 2560 BCE, Giza, Egypt

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateway to Art:



Great Pyramid of KhufuThe Importance of Geometric Form

Regulated and controlled geometric form

Stands as a monument to the engineering and construction skills of the ancient Egyptians

Base of Khufu’s pyramid is level to within less than an inch

Greatest difference in the length of the sides is 1¾” Originally encased in fine white limestone

Egyptian art and architecture exhibit carefully ordered and controlled characteristics

Work of these artists was governed by a canon, or set of rules

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateway to Art:



1.31 David Smith, Cubi XIX, 1964. Stainless steel, 113¼ x 21⅝ x 20⅝”

David Smith, Cubi XIX

• Uses cubes, cuboids, and a thick disk

• Combines geometric forms in angular relationships

• Diagonal angles imply movement– Smith learned welding in an

automobile factory and became expert while fabricating tanks of thick armor plate during World War II

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Organic Form

Organic forms are derived from living things

Irregular and unpredictable

Can be used for expressive effect

1.32 Vesperbild (Pietà), Middle Rhine region, c. 1330. Wood, 34½” high. Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany

Vesperbild (Pietà)

• The human body is an organic form

• Artists can use irregular awkward forms for expressive effect

• Artist distorted the bodies of Mary and Jesus to communicate pain and suffering

• Twisting and distorting Mary’s face expresses sorrow

1.33 Lino Tagliapietra, Batman, 1998. Glass, 11½ x 15½ x 3½”

Lino Tagliapietra, Batman

• Artist uses a form that is lively and organic

• The natural energy of light is captured in the glowing transparency of the glass

• The artist says of this work:– “I imaged pieces that allow

the viewer to see both the reality and fantasy of Batman’s world.”

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Form in Relief and in the Round

A relief is a work in which forms project from a flat surface

It is designed to be viewed from one side only

A form in the round can be seen from all sides

1.34 Imperial Procession, from the Ara Pacis Augustae, 13 BCE. Marble altar. Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy

Imperial Procession, from theAra Pacis Augustae

• A relief can be mounted on a wall or other surface

• A sculptor can create the illusion of a three-dimensional space, with dramatic results

• The unknown artist uses the depth of the carvings to suggest that some areas of the composition are farther away from us than others– The figures in the foreground are

deeply carved (in high relief)– The figures behind those in the

foreground are also carved in relief, but not quite so deeply

– The artist suggests even greater depth by using a third group of figures who are carved in shallow relief

1.35 Stela with supernatural scene, Mexico or Guatemala, 761 CE. Limestone, 92 x 42 x 3”. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Stela with supernatural scene

• Done in bas-relief (low relief)

• Stela: upright stone slab decorated with inscriptions or pictorial relief carvings

• All elements of the composition are of equal depth

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Volume

Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object

Architectural forms usually enclose a volume of interior space to be used for living or working

1.36 Volume and mass

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Open Volume

When artists enclose a space with materials that are not completely solid, they create an open volume

1.37a Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter, Ghostwriter, 1994. Cast metal/stainless cable, 36 x 8 x 10’. Evanston Public Library, Illinois

1.37b Detail of Ghostwriter

Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter, Ghostwriter

• An open volume that, when looked at as a whole, creates the image of a large human head

• Made of carefully suspended pieces of metal

• In the stairwell where the piece hangs, the empty space and the “head” are not distinct or separate, but the shape is nonetheless implied

1.38 Vladimir Tatlin, Model for Monument to the Third International, 1919

Vladimir Tatlin, Monument to the Third International

• Intended to be a huge tower• To commemorate the triumph

of Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution

• Never built, but it would have been much higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris

• Spiraling open volume of the interior

• Designed to be made from steel and glass

• Tatlin believed that art should support and reflect the new social and political order

1.39 Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest), 2008. Painted cypress, 24 x 108 x 11’.Installation at St. Petersburg Art Center, Florida

Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest)

• Open volume can make a work feel light

• Creating negative space (the openings between the wooden slats) makes the work seem to float

• Many subtle changes in direction

• The artists hope that viewers will experience a feeling of being surrounded by water as they walk through the passage

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Mass

Mass suggests that something is solid and occupies space

Our perception of mass is derived from our imagination, our previous experience with smaller objects, and our understanding of the forces of nature

Mass can suggest weight in a three-dimensional object

Mass does not necessarily imply heaviness, only that a volume is solid and occupies space

1.40 Colossal Head,Olmec, 1500–1300 BCE. Basalt. Museo de Antropología, Veracruz, Mexico

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateway to Art:



Colossal Olmec HeadsMass and Power

The monumental quality of some artworks is directly related to their mass

The sheer size of the work was almost certainly intended to impress and overwhelm

At La Venta, Mexico, three heads were positioned in a “processional arrangement”

The massive scale of this head makes an imposing statement

Size suggests the power of a mighty ruler or an important ancestor

1.41 Rachel Whiteread, House, 1993. Concrete. Bow, London, England (demolished 1994)

Rachel Whiteread, House

• Suggests great weight and solidity

• Filled the interior space of a house with tons of concrete

• This building’s interior was transformed into a lasting memorial of the lives of the people who used to live in it

• Associations with life and death, memory, and change

1.42 Marisol (Escobar), Father Damien, 1969. Bronze, State Capitol Building, Honolulu, Hawaii

Marisol (Escobar), Father Damien

• Father Damien was a Catholic missionary who supervised a leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai during the nineteenth century

• Steadfast compassion is suggested by the foursquare mass of Marisol’s work

• The stout form communicates stability and determination

• Father Damien died of leprosy while serving its victims

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Texture

Texture is the tactile sensation we experience when we physically encounter a three-dimensional form

When we think of texture, we mostly rely on the impressions we receive from our hands

When we look at a surface we can imagine how itstexture feels

1.43 Nam June Paik, TV Buddha, 1974. Closed-circuit video installation with bronze sculpture, monitor, and video camera, dimensions vary with installation. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nam June Paik, TV Buddha

• Viewers experience actual texture when they see and touch the work

• The artist successfully draws on our past tactile experiences to give us a fuller experience of the artwork

• The low-tech sense of touch contrasts with the high-tech process of capturing a visual image

• A camera installed in the work shoots video of the actual texture and translates it into an image that can be experienced only from our tactile memory

1.44 Méret Oppenheim, Object, 1936. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, 2⅞” high. MOMA, New York

Méret Oppenheim, Object

• A subversive texture contradicts our previous tactile experience

• Artists and designers use the contradictions and contrasts of subversive texture to invite viewers to reconsider their preconceptions about the world around them

• Méret Oppenheim (1913–85) used texture to contradict the conscious logical experiences of viewers

• The artist counts on our tactile memory to conflict with the actual experience

1.45 Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, 1997, Bilbao, Spain

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

• Bilbao was once a center for ship-building, and the undulating surfaces of Gehry’s creation suggest shipsand ship construction

• Uses contrasts in geometric and organic form

• Gehry used computer programs originally invented for aerospace design

• Irregular, curving organic forms that rise and fall unpredictably

• Employs both sculptural relief and in-the-round forms

• Covered with titanium tiles

1.46 Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999 (cast 2001). Bronze, stainless steel, and marble, 29’4⅜” x 32’9⅛ x 38’1”. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Louise Bourgeois, Maman• Means “Momma” in French

• The sculpture stands beside the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. The museum’s apparently solid mass is contrasted with the spindly form and open volume of Maman

• The subtle variations of angle in the legs imply movement

• Even though this spider is made of bronze, the effect is one of lightness

• Bourgeois wants to suggest both the tenderness and the fierce protectiveness of motherhood

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Conclusion

Three-dimensional art is expressed in height, width,and depth

Forms can be geometric or organic

Volume is the amount of space occupied by the form

Mass is the impression that the volume is solid and occupies space

The surface of the form can be described in terms ofits texture

Artists can use the language of three-dimensional artto express many ideas and emotions

1. Which of these is a form?

a. Triangle b. Circle c. Pyramid d. Square e. Rectangle

2. This famous object is the largest carving in the world created from a single stone.

a. The Sphinx b. Pyramid of Khufu c. Vesperbild d. Ara Pacis e. Colossal Head

3. Which of these is not a geometric form?

a. Leaf b. Sphere c. Cube d. Pyramid e. Cylinder

4. The human figure communicates the rich experience of humanity, and artists emulate this experience using this kind of

form:

a. geometric. b. subversive. c. regular. d. static. e. organic.

5. There are two kinds of relief sculpture, a pronounced surface treatment called high relief

and a shallow surface low relief called: a. facade relief. b. bas relief. c. intaglio relief. d. stela relief. e. planar relief.

6. This element of art is used to describe the usable interior space of an architectural form.

a. Volume b. Mass c. Texture d. Shape e. Color

7. This element of art is used to describe the solidity of a form, such as that of the Colossal

Olmec Heads. a. Volume b. Texture c. Shape d. Mass e. Color

8. A slick cold surface of a finely finished metal object, the rough-hewn splintery character of a broken branch, and the

pebbly surface of a rocky beach are all examples of this element of art:

a. mass. b. texture. c. volume. d. shape. e. color.

9. Artists use this kind of texture if they want to contradict a viewer’s normal expectations of a

textured surface. a. Organic b. Geometric c. Implied d. Actual e. Subversive

10. Frank Gehry’s design for the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, uses contrasts of:

a. subversive and implied texture.

b. soft and hard texture.

c. natural and manmade materials.

d. organic and geometric form.

e. large and small shapes.

Chapter 1.3

Implied Depth: Value and Space

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS


PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.3 Implied Depth: Value and Space


Introduction

When artists create an image in two dimensions, they are creating an illusion

Techniques artists use to imply depth—value, space, and perspective

Value—the lightness or darkness of a surface

Space—the distance between identifiable points or planes

Perspective—the creation of the illusion of depth in atwo-dimensional image by using mathematical principles

1.47 René Magritte, The Treachery of Images (“This is not a pipe”), 1929. Oil on canvas, 23¾ x 32”. LACMA

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



René Magritte, The Treachery of Images(“This is not a pipe”)

Uses value and perspective to imply depth Painted in varying values The top of the pipe bowl is composed of two

concentric ellipses Magritte understands our habits of visual perception

Magritte wants us to recognize that what appears to be a pipe is not really a pipe

Nothing more than paint on a flat surface

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Value

An artist’s use of value can produce a sense of solidity and influence our mood

Film noir, French for “dark film”

The serious mood of these mysteries was enhanced by the filmmaker’s choice of dark values

Artists use dark and light values as tools for creating depth

1.48 Buckminster Fuller, Geodesic Dome (Art Dome), 1963–79, Reed College, Portland, Oregon

Buckminster Fuller,Geodesic Dome (Art Dome)

• Demonstrates the effect of light on planes in varying locations– Many triangular flat planes

make up this surface– Each of these planes has a

different relative degree of lightness or darkness

– Value changes occur gradually– The relative dark values

increase as the planes get further away and face away from the light

– There is a value range of black, white, and eight valuesof gray

• Formerly used as a sculpture studio at Reed College in Portland, Oregon

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.49 Values and planes of a geodesic sphere, vector graphic

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Chiaroscuro

Italian for “light dark”

A method of applying value to a two-dimensional piece of artwork to create the illusion of three dimensions

Renaissance artists identified five distinct areas of lightand shadow

Highlight, light, core shadow, reflected light, and cast shadow

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.50 Diagram of chiaroscuro

1.51 slide 1: Pierre Paul Prud’hon, Study for La Source, c. 1801. Black and white chalk on blue paper, 21¾ x 15¼”. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts

1.51 slide 2: Chiaroscuro graphic with Pierre Paul Prud’hon, Study for La Source, c. 1801. Black and white chalk on blue paper, 21¾ x 15¼”. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Pierre Paul Prud’hon, Study for La Source

• Uses chiaroscuro in the drawing of a female figure– There is an area of highlight on

the knee, leading intothe lighted thigh

– Under the knee and thigh there is a strong core shadow

– Reflected light can be seen on the calf and the underside of the thigh

– The reflected light is accented by the dark cast shadow behind the calf

• Use of black and white chalk on a gray paper allows the artist to accentuate the lightest and darkest areas

1.52 Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, c. 1599–1600. Oil on canvas, 11’1” x 11’5”. Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesci, Rome, Italy

Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew

• Dramatic effects can be achieved through the use of chiaroscuro

• Uses strongly contrasting values to convert a quiet gathering into a pivotal and powerful event– The intense difference

between lights and darks places extra emphasis on Christ’s hand

– The light also frames Matthew

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Hatching and Cross-Hatching

Hatching consists of a series of lines, close to and parallel to each other

Cross-hatching (a variant of hatching in which the lines overlap) is used to suggest values that create a greater sense of form and depth

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.53 Creating value using hatching and cross-hatching

1.54 Michelangelo, Head of a Satyr, c. 1520–30. Pen and ink on paper, 10⅝ x 7⅞”. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Michelangelo, Head of a Satyr

• Cross-hatched pen-and-ink drawing

• By building up layers of brown ink, Michelangelo overcomes the restrictions created by the thin lineof the pen

• The bright white highlight uses no lines; the surrounding hatch lines define the transition from bright light to a darker value

• As the hatching lines cross over and over, the valueappears to get darker

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Space

The strategies whereby an artist creates a sense of depth and the illusion of space include:

Size

Overlapping

Position

Alternating value and texture

Changing brightness and color

Atmospheric perspective

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Size, Overlapping, and Position

The size of one shape compared to another often suggests that the larger object is closer to us

If one shape overlaps another, the shape in front seems to be closer

A shape lower in the picture plane appears to be closer

1.55 Katsushika Hokusai, “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa,” from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, 1826–33 (printed later). Print, color woodcut. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

“The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa”The Artist’s Methods for Implying Depth

• The artist makes one boat shape smaller than the others

• The shape of the wave overlaps the two largest boat shapes

• By placing the wave shape at the lowest point on the page, the artist suggests that it is closest to the viewer

• The placing of Mt. Fuji lower than the top of the waves deliberately confuses the composition– Adds to our sense of the size

of the wave

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Alternating Value and Texture

Artists intersperse value and visual texture to create a sense of rhythm

1.56 Fan Kuan, Travelers among Mountains and Streams, Northern Sung Dynasty, 11th century. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 81¼ x 40⅜”. National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

Fan Kuan, Travelers among Mountains and Streams

• Each area of light and dark occupies different amounts of space, making the design more interesting

• Note the change in visual texture from bottom to top

• These visual layers create a sense of depth

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Brightness and Color

Lighter areas seem to be closer as dark areas appear to recede

Especially true of color

We are more likely to think that a green that is very pure and intense is closer to us than a darker green

1.57 Thomas Hart Benton, The Wreck of the Ole ’97, 1943. Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 28½ x 44½”. Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Thomas Hart Benton, The Wreck of the Ole ’97

Used brightness and color to create a sense of distance in his painting

We see the bright, pure greens come forward as the darker, less intense greens fall away

We perceive color that is more intense as being closer

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Atmospheric Perspective

Distant objects lack contrast, detail, and sharpness of focus because the air that surrounds us is not completely transparent

The atmosphere progressively veils a scene as the distance increases

Contemporary filmmakers use this atmospheric effect to give the illusion of great depth

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.58 The effects of atmospheric perspective

1.59 Asher Brown Durand, Kindred Spirits, 1849. Oil on canvas, 44 x 36”. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

Asher Brown Durand, Kindred Spirits

• The trees in the foreground are detailed and bright green, but as the trees recede into the landscape behind the two figures they become a lighter gray and increasingly out of focus

• By using atmospheric perspective, Durand conveys an impression of the vastness of the American landscape

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Perspective

Artists, architects, and designers who wish to suggest the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface use perspective

Isometric perspective uses parallels to communicate depth

Linear perspective relies on a system where lines appear to converge at points in space

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Isometric Perspective

Arranges parallel lines diagonally in a work to give a sense of depth

Derives from the Greek meaning “equal measure” It was particularly suitable for painting on scrolls, which can

be examined only in sections

1.60 Xu Yang, The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou and the Grand Canal , Qing Dynasty, 1770 (detail). Handscroll, ink, and color on silk, 2’3⅛” x 65’4½”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

1.61 Graphic detailing isometric perspective: The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou and the Grand Canal (detail)

Xu Yang, The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour

• Parallel diagonal lines define the small L-shaped building in the center of the work

• This method of implying depth is not “realistic”

• The artist makes use of other spatial devices—for example, the diminishing size of the trees as they recede into the distance—to help us understand how the space is structured

1.62 Screenshot from The Sims, a computer simulation game, 2000

The Sims

• Isometric perspective is common in contemporary computer graphics

• The designers have created the architecture of the game using parallel diagonal lines to make “tiles”

• Allows players to manipulate the architecture without distortion

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Linear Perspective

A mathematical system that uses lines to create the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional artwork

The linear perspective systems used by artists are based on observation of space in the world

The theory of linear perspective was developed in detail by the fifteenth-century artist Leon Battista Alberti

The Italian Filippo Brunelleschi was the first artist to apply the theories of Alberti and others to create works of art using linear perspective

1.63 slide 1: Edith Hayllar, A Summer Shower, 1883. Oil on panel, 21 x 17⅜”. Private collection

1.63 slide 2: The effect of convergences: Edith Hayllar, A Summer Shower, 1883. Oil on panel, 21 x 17⅜”. Private collection

Edith Hayllar, A Summer Shower

• The artist, British painter Edith Hayllar, uses linear perspective to create an orderly composition that reflects the well-regulated life of Victorian aristocracy in England

• The converging lines represent planes that are parallel to each other in reality

• Parallel lines appear to converge on one single point in front of the male tennis player on the left

• Edith Hayllar exhibited many works at the Royal Academy in London—a rare honor for a woman artist at the time

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



One-Point Perspective

One-point perspective relies on a single vanishing point

Unless the viewer is situated in direct line of sight it is not as easy to see how the perspective creates the illusion of a recession of space

Uses a single vanishing point

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



1.64 Applying one-point perspective technique

1.65 Use of one-point perspective: Masaccio, Trinity, c. 1425–6. Fresco, 21’10½” x 10’4⅞”. Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy

Masaccio, Trinity

• Places the horizon line, an imaginary line that mimics the horizon, at the viewer’s eye level

• The horizon line represents our eye level

• The orthogonals (lines of convergence) create an illusion that the background is an architectural setting

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Two-Point Perspective

Uses two separate vanishing points

Relies on horizon line

1.66a Raphael, The School of Athens, 1510–11. Fresco, 16’8” x 25’. Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican City

1.66b Applying two-point perspective: detail from Raphael,The School of Athens

Raphael, The School of AthensPerspective and the Illusion of Depth

• Raphael introduces two additional vanishing points into a one-point perspective composition– One vanishing point is

positioned to the left of the central vanishing point

– The right vanishing point is outside of the picture

• Since the block in the center of the picture is turned at an angle, Raphael had to integrate another level of perspective into the work

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Multi-Point Perspective

If we are looking at an object from a position other than ground level, then we need points away from the horizon line and other variations on perspective

Many objects are made up of multiple angles that need even more vanishing points

The most common multiple-point perspective system is three-point perspective

A vanishing point is placed above or below the horizon line to accommodate a high or low angle of observation

Worm’s-eye view: looking up

Bird’s-eye view: looking down

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Cone of vision

1.67 Cone of vision

1.68 slide 1: M. C. Escher, Ascending and Descending, March 1960. Woodcut, 14 x 11¼”. The M. C. Escher Company, Netherlands

1.68 slide 2: Three-point perspective, bird’s-eye view: M. C. Escher, Ascending and Descending, March 1960. Woodcut, 14 x 11¼”. The M. C. Escher Company, Netherlands

M. C. Escher, Ascending and Descending

• Three distinct vanishing points– Two of the vanishing

points are placed on the horizon line

– One point is well below horizon line

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Foreshortening

Results when the rules of perspective are applied to represent unusual points of view

Especially applies to figures

1.69 Albrecht Dürer, Draftsman Drawing a Recumbent Woman, 1525. Woodcut. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austria

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Albrecht Dürer, Draftsman Drawing a Recumbent Woman

At this oblique angle the usual proportions of different parts of the body do not apply

The artist has a fixed lens or aperture in front of him to make sure he always views from the same point

He looks through the gridded window to view the figure

Then he aligns his drawing to a similar grid marked onthe piece of paper in front of him

1.70 Andrea Mantegna, The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, c. 1480. Tempera on canvas, 26¾ x 31⅞”.Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy

Andrea Mantegna, The Lamentation over the Dead Christ

• The figure of Christ is oriented so that the wounded feet are placed in the extreme foreground

• Rest of the body receding away from the viewer backinto space

• Mantegna only slightly enlarges the feet

• Depicts the body in shortened sections

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS



Conclusion

Artists anticipate the effects of light on an object by subtle variations in value

We see depth when an artist overlaps different shapes, or contrasts their sizes in a particular way

From observation of the real world, the artist mimics variations in texture, brightness, color intensity, and atmospheric perspective to create an imaginary space

Different systems of perspective allow artists to create a new and convincing sense of depth

1. In The Treachery of Images, Magritte tell us that painting is a______.

• a. visual trick• b. matter of romance• c. a window to the soul• d. political tool• e. rectangle

2. These two values are at the extreme ends of a value range.

• a. Dark gray and light gray

• b. White and dark gray• c. Black and gray• d. Light gray and white• e. Black and white

3. Artists sometimes use this method of applying value to give a feeling of three-dimensionality.

• a. Chiaroscuro• b. Tinting• c. Atmospheric

perspective• d. Smoothing• e. Contrast

4. A series of closely arranged parallel lines that are overlapped by another set of parallel strokes to create a sense of value is

called ?

• a. chiaroscuro• b. cross-hatching• c. isometric perspective• d. pigment• e. scumbling

5. Artists intersperse value and texture to create a sense of ______.

• a. relief• b. disquiet• c. mystery• d. rhythm• e. chaos

6. An artist can create an illusion of depth using only color by varying the ______ .

• a. relief• b. mass• c. complements• d. volume• e. intensity

7. Contemporary filmmakers use this aerial effect to give the illusion of great depth, even when the scene is in a limited space.

• a. Mass• b. Texture• c. Atmospheric

perspective• d. Shape• e. Color

8. This type of perspective is used by game designers because it allows them to create depth using parallel diagonal lines.

• a. Isometric• b. Linear• c. Atmospheric• d. One-point• e. Multi-point

9. This Italian artist was the first to apply the tenets of linear perspective to the creation of artworks.

• a. Michelangelo• b. Leonardo da Vinci• c. Raphael• d. Warhol• e. Brunelleschi

10. This kind of perspective is best used when the artist is confronted by a complex scene where some of the image is placed at a high or low angle.

• a. Isometric• b. Atmospheric• c. Multi-point• d. One-point• e. Two-point

11. The method whereby rules of perspective are applied to represent unusual points of view is called ______.

• a. woodcutting• b. variable angling• c. coordinating• d. foreshortening• e. alternating two-

dimensionality

• Next Class:• Quiz: chs Intro- 1.3• (15 questions) Draw a scene ( outdoors

or interior) (Sketchbook)

• Powerpoint:• Chapters 1.4- 1.7• Video

art 110 wk 1 (intro/chs 1.1,1.2,1.3)

Education