Transcript The Language of Art - Houston Independent School District

The Language of Art
Chapter 1 ArtTalk Textbook
Art is a way of communicating
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Art is a universal language – it
can be understood regardless
of whether there is a common
language.
Art is a visual language – it’s
what you see.
Art has it’s own “vocabulary”
and “rules of grammar”.
Art uses symbols. Symbols
stand for or represent
something else. Most of these
symbols are instantly
recognizable.
The Language of Art
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An artist can communicate
messages in art very clearly
by using the Elements of
Art and the Principles of
Design. The artist starts
with an idea, then uses the
elements of art and
principles of design to
emphasize the main idea
and to direct the viewer’s
eye through the image so the
message comes through.
.
Edvard Munch, The Scream
1893. Oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard. 91 x
73.5 cm. National Gallery, Oslo
Elements of Art
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The elements of art are the
basic visual symbols in a
language of art.
The elements of art are the
“tools” of art. These are the
“words” of art.
The elements of art consist of
line, shape and form, space,
color, value, and texture
All works of art contain at
least some of the elements.
Grant Wood, American Gothic. 1930. Oil on beaverboard. 74.3 x 62.4 cm, 29 ¼ x
24 ½ in. Art Institute of Chicago.
Principles of Design
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The principles of design are
the rules that govern how
artists organize the elements of
art
The principles of design are
the “rules” of art – how you
use the elements or tools.
The principles of design
consist of rhythm, movement,
balance, proportion, variety,
emphasis, harmony, and
unity.
The principles of design are
used to communicate the
message the artist wants to
convey.
Miriam Schapiro, Sonia, Josephine. 1986. Cut-out paper.
Marc Chagall, Les Amoureux de Vence. Size: 20 x 16 in
Medium
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The material used to
make art is called a
medium. The plural of
medium is media. For
example, clay, wood, and
marble are media used
for sculpting.
Drawing
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Drawing is the process of moving
a pointed instrument over a
smooth surface to leave a mark.
The most popular drawing media
are graphite pencils, colored
pencils, pens, charcoal, crayons,
pastels (both soft and oil) and
colored chalk.
Drawing helps artists with
perception. Perception is the act
of looking at something carefully
and thinking deeply about what is
seen.
Drawing is the basis of almost all
works of art – the artist draws or
sketches the idea for the art work.
Charles White, Preacher. 1952. Ink on cardboard. 54 x 76 cm (21 3/8 x 29 1/8).
Collection of Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Painting
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Painting is the process
of applying color to a
surface using tools such
as brush, painting knife,
roller, or even fingers.
A support is the surface
on which the paint is
applied. Canvas, paper,
wood, masonite, walls,
ceilings are all examples
of supports.
Kahlo, Frida The Two Fridas. 1939. Oil on canvas. 68 x 68 in. (173 x 173 cm). Museo de
Arte Moderno, Mexico City
Paint
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Paint has 3 basic parts
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Pigment – the finely ground
powder that gives paint its color
Binder – the liquid that holds the
pigment so it will stay on the
support. Binder is also called
vehicle. The two terms can be
used interchangeably.
Solvent – the material used to thin
the binder. Can frequently be used
in clean-up as well – ex. Water is
the solvent for acrylic, and can
also be used to clean brushes and
remove acrylic (when wet) as well.
Printmaking
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Printmaking is a process in
which an artist repeatedly
transfers an original image from
one prepared surface to another.
Printmaking uses three basic
steps.
 Creating the printing plate
(the surface onto or into
which the image is placed)
 Inking the plate using a brayer
and ink
 Transferring the image by
pressing paper against the
inked plate. The pressing can
be done by hand or by using a
printing press.
Printmaking
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A series of identical prints made from
the same plate is called an edition.
In relief printing, the artist cuts away
the parts of the surface that are not
meant to be printed. Ex. Linoleum cut
Intaglio is the opposite of relief
printing – ink is forced into lines which
have been cut out. Etchings and
engravings are examples of intaglio.
Lithography is based on the principle
that grease and water do not mix. A
greasy crayon is used to create the
image to print. The surface is treated
with a surface that keeps it from
retaining ink, and only the greasy part
retains ink.
Screen printing uses a stencil attached
to a screen of silk to create the image.
The ink is then pushed through the silk.
Screen printing is used to print on
fabric – i.e. T-shirts
Photography
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Photography is a
technique of
capturing optical
images on lightsensitive surfaces.
The elements of
art and the
principles of
design apply to
photography as
well as any other
art form.
Eugene Atget, Parc Monceau (8e
arr). 1901-2. Albumen Print.
George Eastman House,
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo,
California. 1933. Gelatin silver print.
Diane Arbus, Child with a toy hand grenade in
Central Park, N.Y.C. 1962.
Sculpture
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Sculpture is an art form
that literally takes up
space.
Types of sculpture
include:
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Freestanding –
surrounded on all sides
by space
Relief – type of sculpture
in which forms project
from a flat background.
Rodin, Auguste, The Thinker. 1880.
Bronze. 68.6 x 89.4 x 50.8 cm
Sculpture
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Sculptural processes include:
 Modeling – a soft, pliable
material is built up and shaped –
an additive process.
 Carving – sculptor carves, cuts
or chips from a mass of material
to create a sculpture - a
subtractive process
 Casting – Melted metal or other
liquid substance is poured into a
mold to harden.
 Assembly – Artist gathers and
joins together a variety of
different materials to form a
sculpture – an additive process.
Crafts
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Fine art is art that is meant
to be experienced visually.
It is not meant to be
functional usually.
Crafts (also called applied
arts) are meant to be
functional as well as
visually appealing.
Examples of crafts are
weaving, quilting, baskets,
pottery, glass arts, and
jewelry.
The Work of Art
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The work of art is defined
by three basic properties –
subject, composition, and
content.
The subject is the image
that viewers can easily
identify in a work of art.
Subjects can be objective
(recognizable) or nonobjective (nonrecognizable subject
matter).
Walter Anderson, Blue Crabs. Watercolor. 8 ½ x 11 in.
Nancy Graves, Zaga. 1983. Cast bronze
with polychrome chemical patination.
182.9 x 124.5 x 81.4 cm (72 x 49 x 32 in).
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas
City, Missouri.
The Work of Art
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Composition is the
second property of a
work of art.
Composition is the way
the principles of design
are used to organize the
elements.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Behind the Gare St. Lazare
The Work
of Art
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Content is the
third property
of a work of
art.
Content is the
message the
work of art
communicates.
Diane Arbus. Teenage couple on Hudson Street,
N.Y.C. 1963
Mary Cassatt, La Toilette. c. 1891. Oil on canvas. 39 1/2
x 26 in. The Art Institute of Chicago
Pablo Picasso, The Tragedy. 1903. Oil paint on
wood. 105.4 x 69 cm (411/2 x 27 1/8 in). National
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The Credit
Line
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A credit line
appears beneath
the caption of a
picture of a
work of art in
print, or next to
it when the
work of art is
on display in a
museum.
Joseph Raffael. Spirit, 2006. Watercolor on paper. 60 x 85 inches
The Credit Line
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A credit line consists of the
following:
 Name of the artist
 Title of the work
 Year the work was created.
Sometimes a “c” appears,
which means circa, Latin for
“around” or “about”.
 Medium used by the artist. If
more than one, then credit line
will indicate “mixed media”
 Size of the work. Height x
Paul Cézanne. Still Life with Peaches and Pears. 1888-90. Oil on canvas.
Width, in that order.
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Art, Moscow, Russia
 Location of the work.
Meet the Artist
Henry Moore
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Henry Moore (English, 1898-1986)
was one of the greatest and most
innovative sculptors in the 20th
century. He created organic-shaped
sculptures and gave them a look of
having been touched and rubbed by
thousands of hands over the years.
When asked to create a massive
sculpture for the UNESCO building,
he searched the marble quarries in
Italy for the perfect piece. It was too
big to move (more than 60 tons), so he
went to the quarry and worked there
for a year until he had reduced the
work to a moveable size. It is the
simplest and larges of Moore’s
reclining figures.
Does anyone know where there is a
Henry Moore sculpture on display in
Houston?
Objective Assessment – Building
Vocabulary
Write the entire definition, then add the term that best matches the definition.
1. Something that stands for, or represents something
else.
2. The basic visual symbols in the language of art.
3. The rules that govern how artists organize the
elements of art.
4. A material used to make art
5. The act of looking at something carefully and
thinking deeply about what is seen.
6. A process in which an artist repeatedly transfers an
original image from one prepared surface to another.
Objective Assessment – Building
Vocabulary
7. A series of identical prints made from the same
plate.
8. A technique of capturing optical images on lightsensitive surfaces.
9. Surrounded on all sides by space.
10. Sculpture in which forms project from a flat
background.
11. The image viewers can easily identify in a work of
art.
12. Art that has no recognizable subject matter.
Objective Assessment – Reviewing
Art Facts
Write the following questions and then the answer.
1. Name the elements of art.
2. List the principles of design.
3. Name at least four of the most popular media
used in drawing.
4. What are the three basic ingredients common
to all paints?
5. What three basic steps are used in the
printmaking process?
Objective Assessment – Reviewing
Art Facts
6. What printmaking process is best suited to
printing on fabric?
7. Name a subtractive process an artist can use
to create a sculpture.
8. What are the three basic ingredients of paint?
9. What are the six parts of a credit line?
10. Name the three basic properties or features of
a work of art.