ART APPRECIATION

Elements and
Principles of Art
WEEKS 8-9 (WEEKS ENDING OCT. 16 and 23, 2020)
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
▪ Elements of Art
▫ Visual
▫ Auditory
▪ Principles of Art
▪ Combined and Hybrid Art
VISUAL
ELEMENTS OF ART
Line

▪ Refers to a point moving at an identifiable path

▪ Has length and direction (and width)
▪ One-dimensional—but can either:
▫ define the perimeters of the artwork (edges), or
▫ become a substantial component of the composition
Keith Haring, Todos juntos podemos parar el sida (Eng.
We can all stop together AIDS). Plastic paint on wall.
MACBA Collection. Barcelona Council long-term.
Line

Horizontal and vertical lines

▪ The orientation of the line that communicates stability
and firmness
▪ Horizontal lines: associated with rest or calm
▪ Vertical lines: connote elevation or height
Line

Diagonal and crooked lines

▪ Diagonal lines: convey movement and stability,
although the progression can be seen
▪ Crooked lines: reminiscent of violence, conflict, or
struggle
Line

▪ Curved lines
▫ Allude to softness, grace, flexibility, or even
sensuality

Lines may not necessarily be explicitly shown!

Francisco de
Goya, Porque
esconderlos?
(Eng. Why hide
them?) (1797-
99) Etching and
aquapaint. This
print is work No.
3 of the
Caprichos series
(1st edition,
Madrid, 1799).
Museo del Prado
Collection

Théodore Géricault, The Raft of Medusa (1818-1819)

Oil on canvas. Musee du Louvre, Paris.
Shape and Form

▪ Define the space occupied by the object of art

▫ Shape: 2 dimensions—height and width
▫ Form: 3 dimensions—height, width, and depth
Shape and Form

▪ Categories of shapes:
▫ Geometric: finds origin in mathematical
propositions
▫ Organic: those readily occurring in nature, often
irregular and asymmetrical
▪ Shapes can also be implied!
Piet Mondrian, Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1 (1918) Louis Comfort Tiffany (designer), Tiffany Furnaces
Oil on canvas. Private Collection. (Maker), Vase made of favrile glass. (c.a. 1913), Gift
of Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, 1951. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Raphael, The
Madonna of the
Meadows (1505).
Oil on panel.
Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna.
Space

▪ Related to shape and form

▪ Usually inferred from a sense of depth, whether it is
real or simulated
▫ Real space are three-dimensional
▫ Can be manifested in two-dimensional artworks
through the use of certain techniques, or the use (or
non-use) of area around a drawing or picture
Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate (2004), located in Chicago, Illinois.
Space

▪ Positive or negative space

▫ Negative space: usually identified with white space
▫ Positive space: space where shadow is heavily
used
▪ Three-dimensional space
▫ Can be simulated through a variety of technique
such as shading as done in a two-dimensional work
Color

▪ Enhances the appeal of an artwork

▪ Property of light, as it is reflected off the object.
▪ Properties if color: hue, value, intensity
Color

▪ Hue – dimension of that gives its color

▫ Primary colors – red, yellow, blue
▫ Secondary colors – green, orange, violet
▫ Tertiary colors – six in total, these are achieved
when primary and secondary colors are mixed
Color

▪ Value - brightness and darkness of color

▫ Used by artists to create the illusion of depth and
solidity, a particular mood, communicate a feeling,
or in establishing a scene (day or night)
▫ Light colors – taken as a source of light in the
composition
▫ Dark colors – the lack or absence of light
▫ Tint: a lighter color than the normal value (e.g. pink
for red); Shade: a darker color than the normal value
(e.g. maroon for red)
Color

▪ Intensity – the color’s brightness or dullness

▫ Strength of the color: vivid or muted.
▫ To achieve a specific intensity, one may add either
gray or its complementary color
▫ Bright or warm colors: positive energy
▫ Dull or cool colors: sedate/soothing,
seriousness or calm
Color

Color Harmonies
▪ Monochromatic– use the variations of a hue
▪ Complementary– involve two colors opposite each
other in the color wheel. Since they are at contrary
positions, the reaction is most intense
▪ Analogous – make use of two colors beside each other
in the color wheel
Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament (1900-1901). Oil on canvas. Mr. and Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Battista Cima), Three Saints:
Mrs. Martin A. Ryson Collection (Bequeathed, 1933). Art Institute Chicago. Roch, Anthony Abbot and, Lucy. Oil on canvas (previously
wood) (c.a. 1513). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Edgar Degas, Before the Race (1881-884) Oil on panel. Henry
Walters (Bequeathed, 1931) Walters Art Museum (WAM).
Texture

▪ Experienced through the sense of touch (and sight)

▪ Can be real or implied
Frans Pourbus
the Younger,
Margherita
Gonzaga,
Princess of
Mantua, Oil on
canvas. Bequest
of Collis P.
Huntington, 1990.
The Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
New York.
Texture

▪ Textures in two-dimensional plane

▫ Implied textures: use one technique or a
combination of other elements of art
▫ Imagining how the surface will feel if it was to be
touched: rough or smooth, hard or soft, hairy,
leathery, sharp or dull, etc.
▪ Surface texture
▫ Texture of three-dimensional art object
School of Ogata Kōrin
(Japanese, 1658-
1716), Inrō with Rinpa
Style Kanzan and
Jittoku (Edo period),
Three cases; lacquered
wood with mother-of-
pearl and pewter inlay
on gold lacquer ground;
Pouch: printed cotton
with sarasa pattern;
Ojime: metal bead.
Havemeyer Collection,
Bequest of Mrs. H. O.
Havemeyer, 1929. The
Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York.
Planes and Perspectives

▪ Plane
▫ Picture plane – the actual surface of the painting or
drawing, where no illusion of a third dimension exists:
elements lay flat, as if one was looking through a window
into what lies on the other side of the glass.
▫ Chiaroscuro: developed during the Renaissance, makes
use of light and dark contrasts and tones in which
paintings not only looked three-dimensional, but also
dramatic.
Planes and Perspectives

▪ Perspective
▫ Linear perspective, used based on following
observations:
▫ As forms and objects recede, the smaller they
become
▫ Parallel lines never meet? When they seem to
converge, they recede into distance, at a point, they
both disappear (vanishing point)
G. Herbert & Horace C. Bayley, photographer. Partington - New Railway
Viaduct, Interior, negative May 1893 (print 1894), Gelatin silver print.
Planes and Perspectives

▪ Perspective
▫ One-point – used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways, or
rows of trees; shows parallel lines that seem to converge
at a specific and lone vanishing point, along the horizon
line.
▫ Two-point – makes use of two vanishing points, which
can be placed anywhere along the horizon line; used in
depicting structures such as houses or buildings in the
landscape that are viewed from a specific comer.
▫ Three-point – the viewer is looking at a scene from
above or below; makes use of the three vanishing points,
each corresponding o each axis of the scene
Gustav Calllebotte, Rue de Paris, temps de Pluie (Eng.
Paris Street in Rainy Weather), 1877. Oil on canvas.
Berenice Abbott,
Chanon Building,
New York (about
1935). Gelatin
silver print. Gift of
Nina and Leo
Pircher.
AUDITORY
ELEMENTS OF ART
Rhythm

▪ Element of music that situates it in time; the pulse of the

music.
▫ Beat: basic unit of music
▫ Tempo: its speed (beats/second).
▫ Meter: beats that are be organized into a
recognizable recurrent pattern
Rhythm

▪ Tempo markings: classical terms used to refer to variations

in tempo:
▫ Largo – slowly and broadly
▫ Andante – walking pace
▫ Moderate – at moderate speed
▫ Allegro – fast
▫ Vivace – lively
▫ Accelerando – gradually speeding up
▫ Rallentado – gradually slowing down
▫ Allargando – getting slower, broadening
▫ Rubato – literally "robbed time,” rhythm is played freely
for expressive effect
Rhythm
Allegro 120-168 BPM Moderato 108-120 BPM
quickly and happily not too fast, not to slow

Andante 76-108 BMPM Adagio 66-76 BPM

walking pace slowly
Dynamics

▪ Loudness or quietness of music

▫ Pianissimo [pp] – very quiet
▫ Piano [p] – quiet
▫ Mezzo-piano [mp] – moderately quiet
▫ Mezzo-forte [mf] – moderately loud
▫ Forte [f] – loud
▫ Fortissimo [ff] – very loud
Melody

▪ The linear presentation (horizontal) of pitch

▪ Pitch: the highness and lowness of musical sound
Harmony

▪ Vertical: harmony arises when pitches are combined to

form chords.
▪ Chord: when several notes are simultaneously played,
▪ Harmony can be described in terms of its "harshness":
▫ Dissonance – harsh-sounding combination
▫ Consonance – smooth-sounding combination
Timbre

▪ The color of music: a quality that distinguishes a voice or

an instrument from another.
▪ Dependent on the technique, the timbre may give a
certain tone or characteristic to music (much like how a
painter evokes different effects or impressions onto the
canvas)
KZ Tandingan performing Rolling
in the Deep on Singer (2018)

Adele, in her official music video

for Rolling in the Deep (2010)
Texture

▪ The number of melodies, the type of layers, and their

relatedness in composition:
▫ Monophonic – single melodic line
▫ Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines
▫ Homophonic – main melody accompanied by
chords
PRINCIPLES OF ART
Balance

▪ The distribution of the visual elements in view of their

placement in relation to each other.
▫ Symmetrical – the elements used on one side are
reflected to the other, offering the most stable visual
sense to any artwork
▫ Asymmetrical – the elements are not the same (or
of the same weight) one each side, putting the
heaviness on one side
▫ Radial – there is a central point in the composition,
around which elements and objects are distributed
lsamu Noguchi, Cube. Entrance of Marine Midland Building, Manhattan.
UP Diliman Oblation Statue
Rule of Thirds
Scale and Proportion

▪ Scale
▫ The size in relation to what is normal for the figure or
object in question
▫ Sculptures of exaggerate scale: taken by the
whimsical quality of these objects.
Luz Arturo, Paper Clip, Metal. Found Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Plaintor
at the Ayala Museum, Makati City (2001) Meredith Corporation Collection, Des Moines.
Scale and Proportion

▪ Proportion
▫ The size of the components, or of objects of objects
in relation to one another when taken as a
composition or a unit.
▫ Can also refer to values (amounts or numbers) of
elements or objects in the composition
Scale and Proportion

▪ Proportion
▫ Natural - the realistic size of the visual elements in
the artwork, especially for figurative artworks.
▫ Exaggerated - the unusual size relations of visual
elements, deliberately exaggerating the immensity
or minuteness of an object.
▫ Idealized - most common to those that follow canons
of perfection, the size-relations of elements or
objects, which achieve the most ideal size-relations
Leonardo da
Vinci, Vitruvian
Man (1490).
Pen and ink with
wash over metal
point on paper.
Gallerie
dell'Accademia
in Venice, Italy.
Emphasis and Contrast

▪ Emphasis
▫ Allows the attention of the viewer to a focal point(s),
▫ accentuating or drawing attention to these elements
or objects.
▫ Can be done through the manipulation of the
elements or through the assistance of other
principles, especially that of contrast.
Emphasis and Contrast

▪ Contrast
▫ The disparity between the elements that figure into
the composition: one object may be made stronger
compared to other objects (hence, emphasis).
▫ Can be done in many ways using the elements of art:
use of space, specifically the use of negative and
positive space; use of complementary colors in a
work of art.
Unity and Variety

▪ Unity: compositions intended to imbue a sense of accord

or completeness from the artwork (unless intended to be
otherwise)
▪ Variety: aims to retain the interest by allowing patches
or areas that both excite and allow the eye to rest.
Vasudhara
Mandala (dated
1717; Samvat
897). Distemper
on cloth. Gift of
Stephen and
Sharon Davies
Collection, 2015.
The Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
New York.
Harmony

▪ Where elements or objects achieve a sense of flow and

interconnectedness (as in unity and variety)
Movement

▪ The direction of the viewing eye as it goes through the

artwork, often guided by areas or elements that are
emphasized.
▪ Focal points can be lines, edges, shape, and color within
the work of art, among others.
Ferdie Montemayor, Panalo (Swim, Bike, Run) Available
at the Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines
Rhythm

▪ Created when an element is repeated, creating implied

movement
▪ Variety of repetition: to invigorate rhythm
Repetition and Pattern

▪ Repetition: lines, shapes colors, and other elements that

appear in an artwork in a recurring manner
▫ A sense of predictability, imbuing a sense of security
and calmnes
▪ Pattern: image created out repetition
▪ . With repetition, t ere 1s a sense o, p c a , of repet1 ion .
. . ed which in tum Imbues the feelings of secunty and
calmness .
Vincent van Gogh, La
Berceuse (Woman
Rocking a Cradle;
Augustine-Aliz Pellicot
Roulin, 1851-1930). Oil
on canvas. The Walter
H. and Leonore
Annenberg Collection,
Gift of Walter H. and
Leonore Annenberg,
1996, Bequest of Walter
H. Annenberg, 2002. The
Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York.
Rangoli art
Combined and Hybrid Art
Combined Arts

▪ With the complexity of contemporary times,

experimentation and innovation are encouraged; the arts
are subject to overlaps, mergers, and fusion of different
aspects of production and their resultant consumption
▪ Interdisciplinarity: Upshoot of postmodernist ideas in which
barriers were more porous—strict delineation of art forms is
overthrown to make way for collaborations and partnerships
between fields, professionals, and creatives
▪ Dance, theater, installation art, film, video art, documentary,
photography, puppetry, design, and other forms of
production
Hybrid Art

▪ Hinged on the frontiers of science and technology; driven

by the expansion of the imagination and what is possible
through the blistering pace of scientific and technology
▪ The artist’s capacity to move around platforms, and the
implementation and manipulation of newfound tools
▪ Robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, natural and
computer sciences, telecommunications, information, digital
and interface technologies (software programs, speech and
face recognition, social media and online platforms, among
many other emergent developments)
▪ Is this art?
ART HISTORY
What’s Next?
ART APPRECIATION

Elements and
Principles of Art
WEEK 8 (WEEK ENDING OCT. 16, 2020)