Cut Paper NotanBackground of the Medium and Examples

Art 1 Mr. Treacy

Notan: A Japanese word that means “The interaction between light and dark” in an artwork

Take notes on the bold terms on each slide, use your note template

Positive forms / space - The areas in a work of art that are the subjects, or areas of interest. !Negative space - The area around the subjects, or areas of interest.

Think-Pair-Share: !What do you think are the positive forms and negative spaces in this artwork. !Is there more than one way to look at this artwork?

Balance: The ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures, etc.) of a piece are arranged. !Two types of balance: Symmetrical Asymmetrical

•Symmetrical (formal) Balance: Where elements are given equal "weight" from an imaginary line in the middle of a piece. For the most basic example of symmetry, think of your eyes in relation to either side of your nose. !

•Asymmetrical ("informal") balance: When elements are placed unevenly in a piece, but work together to produce harmony

Reflection of Shapes: When a shape is repeated in a composition but its orientation (the way it's facing is changed)

This can be done in a Notan artwork by cutting out the same shape more than once, or by using the positive and negative shapes as seen to the left.

Contemporary artist

Kara Walker uses cut paper to create silhouette installation art

More information about Kara Walker’s process:

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/kara-walker