Transcript Elements of painting printmaking photography

Elements of painting,
printmaking, photography,
graphics art
Or how we talk about images
on a flat surface
What is it?
A two-dimensional object
Rejects representation
 Does not try to represent
the “real”
 Iconic – symbol of the real
 Techniques to unveil the
process

Accepts representation
 Tries to imitate the “real”
 Tries to be threedimensional
 Techniques to fool the eye

How is it done?
 How
the elements are used
 And put together describe the composition of the
piece
Elements of painting/design
 1.
Line
 2. Form
 3. Color
 4. Space
 5. Texture
Use of basic elements in composition
1. Repetition
 2. Balance
 3. Unity
 4. Focal area
 5. Perspective
 6. Chiaroscuro
 7. Dynamics

The composition of a piece helps us
construct meaning in and for the
artwork.
Line
line – actual line on the surface
 Implied line – suggested line through color, shape,
boundaries of objects
 Painterly line – more implied than real
 Linear – more actual line than implied
 Real
 Line
is used to control our eye, create unity and
balance, help construct meaning
Form
 Shape
of object (as a result of the use of line)
 Shape of parts of composition
 Triangle, square, circle, and so on
Color
– pure color (red, blue,….)
 Value – amount of black or white in color
 Intensity – degree of purity of color
 Hue
Space
 Illusion
of three dimensions
Texture
– suggested roughness or smoothness of
objects in the composition
 Real – what it would feel like if you touched it
 Implied
How those elements are used to create
the image….
Repetition
 The
repetition of line, color, shapes
 Repeat
the element in a consistent pattern
 Repeat the element in a variation of the pattern
 Juxtapose elements in a pattern
Balance
 Symmetrical
 Bilateral
if divided the same on both sides
 Asymmetrical
 Placement
of unlike terms
Unity
 Completeness
within the frame (closed
composition)
 Incomplete; viewer’s attention drawn outside the
composition (open composition)
 Use of color, line, shape to pull the objects
together
Focal Area
Where
one’s attention is drawn
Can have more than one focal area
Perspective
 Making
a two-dimensional object into the illusion
of three-dimensional
 Linear (1-point) perspective
 Converging
 Aerial
line to achieve the sense of distance
perspective
 Color,
detail, size to create sense of distance
Chiaroscuro
Contrasts of light and dark
Dynamics
How lively or stable/stolid does the
picture seem?
Subject matter
Continuum
From real (representation) to
nonobjective (iconic)
Our knowledge of the history of the
use of elements also contributes to the
meaning of the object.