 Outline

ELEMENTS OF VISUAL
- delineate a two-dimensional shape
ARTS  Contour Lines
- define borders / outer limits of a figure
LINE
- objective and intellectual Line in Sculpture (is seen/found in…)
1. relation to volume and space
1. Horizontal Line 2. general orientation / directional thrust of
- body at rest the figure
- calmness, repose, stability 3. form of incised / raised designs and
patterns on the body of sculpture
2. Vertical Line
- body in upright standing position Line in Architecture (is seen/found in…)
- poise, alertness, balance, strength, static 1. general orientation of a building/structure
- integrity, law, discipline (moral plane) 2. external design of building
3. ornamental design of interiors
3. Diagonal Line 4. ground plan of the building
- body thrust forward / charging
- energy, will power, passion, emotion
- a relational line COLOR
- weak diagonals signify uncertainty, collapse - best expresses emotions, feelings, moods
- subjective and emotional
4. Curved Line
- grace and beauty Aspects
- body in movements of dance 1. Hue
- spontaneity, charm, eroticism - property which distinguishes one color
from another
5. Jagged Lines  Primary colors – Red, Blue, Yellow
- sharp, pointed  Secondary colors – Orange (RY), Violet
(RB), Green (BY)
- pain, difficulty, danger
 Intermediate Colors – adjacent to each
other in the color wheel
6. Broken Lines
- tentativeness, indefiniteness, insecurity Color Schemes
 Monochromatic – one color in tonal
Quality of Line variations
 Lines by technical pen  Polychromatic – many colors
- sharp and precise  Achromatic – black, white, gray
- used for geometric figures/ (without color)
architectural designs  Analogous – makes use of adjacent
 Lines by charcoal pencil intermediate hues
 Complementary – complementaries
- soft and porous
are dominant
- creates tonal nuances in  Triadic – uses sets of primary /
shading/modelling forms secondary colors in dominance
 Artist’s temperament and inner state
affects quality of line
2. Saturation
 - degree of purity of color in relation to its
appearance in spectrum
3. Intensity
- relative lightness or darkness
- it can be raised by mixing it with white,
lowered with grays or black
 Linear / Droughtsmanly Style
- gives primacy to line as expressive
element defining shapes
 Painterly Style
- dabs, dots, trails of pigment
- convey a sense of spontaneity,
emotional release
 Chromatic Code
- system of hues, range / scale of color
preferences and combinations which
distinguishes the art of a community
or society
Ways of Using Color
1. Representational
- artist paints objects from real world
2. Impressionist
- rejected painting in local color
3. Decorative / Ornamental
- found in relation to patterns & designs
4. Personal
- uses hues to express feelings/emotions
5. Scientific
- investigated color perception
6. Symbolic
- meaning of colors changes due to
cultural tradition
- varies from one period to another
VALUE
- refers to the gradations of tone from light to
dark that can be observed in any object
under the play of light
- sets the mood of the work
- conveys the mysterious and dramatic
- light is reason and illumination; dark is
mystery and depth of the subconscious
Painting
 Value is often synonymous to chiaroscuro
(composite Italian word chiaro “clear”,
and oscuro “dark”).
Light
 The ever-changing quality of light creates
a continual flickering movement on the
surface of things.
Sculpture
 Value in sculpture is related to the
materials used.
Architecture
 Value can be found in the kind of
materials used and their combinations.
 It can also be found in the architectural
design itself.
TEXTURE
- refers to the perception of touch
distinguishing a wide variety of
surface qualities
1. Actual
- tactile sensations are conveyed by
the original materials
- it can also come from the artist’s
handling of paint and brush
- comes from the medium itself
2. Simulated
- they render on a two-dimensional
surface the textural quality of the objects
represented
- found in paintings which imitate the
texture of real objects
Sculpture
 Actual texture can be found in the natural
quality of the medium.
Opposing Traditions
 First, places value on smooth, lustrous
texture associated with the elite
 Second, Zen aesthetics that places value
on rustic unpretentiousness or archaic
 imperfection, apparent simplicity or
effortlessness in execution.
Contemporary Approaches/Techniques
 frottage – a piece of paper is placed over
a textured surface, rubbed with pencil or
charcoal strokes
 fumage – paper is darkened or smoked
with soot from a flame
 art brut (raw art)
FORM and SHAPE
Geometric Shapes
1. Rectilinear
- equal sides with mathematical
exactitude
- conveys rational order, intellect (square
& cube), firmness, stability (hexagon &
octagon)
2. Curvilinear
- circle signifies perfection, eternity, state
of closeness
 Cezanne theorized that the entire
universe can be reduced to three shapes,
the cube, cone and cylinder.
Biomorphic Shapes
- derived from living organisms
- shape implies a defining outline,
form implies structure
 Baroque and rococo decorative designs
are characterized by floral and plant
motifs forming garlands and wreaths.
Free Shapes
- found in painting and sculpture
- often found in abstract art
Properties of Shapes
1. Closure (non-closure)
- closed when self-contained and highly
integral with forces
- open when they interact dynamically
with the environment and surrounding
space
2. Dimension
 trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) – volume of
objects is so convincing that they seem
to be real and actually occupy space
 relief sculpture – claims three-
dimensionality in the sense that figures
possess volume and cast shadows
 free-standing – sculpture which is a
 solid form entirely surrounded by space
 sculpture-in-the-round – sculptural
form which has truly succeeded in
freeing itself from the tyranny of the
block
 Basketry exemplifies the creative use of
materials from the natural environment.
COMPOSITION IN SPACE
- pictorial field is the area covered by the
entire image of a picture bordered by the
frame
* Balance
- organizing principle which presupposes
units possessing relative weights situated in
relation to each of one another to achieve a
feeling of equilibrium or resolution
1. Formal Balance
- also called symmetry or balance of
equal measures
2. Informal Balance
- also called asymmetry or occult
balance of opposed measures
3. Balance of transition
- achieved through strong diagonals or
lines of movement that lead the eye from
one point to another
* Proportion
- relationship of parts to each other and to
the pictorial space

* Rhythm
- repetition of motifs or design elements
- based on the sense of regular movement
- important part of rhythm is the dynamic
interaction of figure and interval
- also a way of achieving unity in variety,
another principle of organization
* Dominance & Subordination and Contrast
- convey priorities and values
Compositional Plans
 Compositions can be built on basic
lines such as the S-curve, zigzag, or
diagonal which may constitute the
structural lines of the picture.
Cultural Approaches to Space/Perspective
 Conceptual – based on what one knew
about the subject
 Hierarchal scale – size is in direct
proportion to social position and rank
 Linear – creates the illusion of
recession in depth from a foreground
near the viewer to a middle ground
and a distant background
 Foreshortening – perspective applied to
a single object
 Perspective is an expressive tool and it can
only be correct or incorrect depending on
how consistent it is with the evident
meaning of the work.
Three Kinds of Perspective (according to Mustard
Seed Garden Manual of Painting):
1. High Distance / Perspective in Height
- looking at a peak from base to top
2. Deep Distance / Perspective in Depth
- looking across from a mountain in the
foreground to a mountain in the back of a
painting
3. Level Distance / Perspective on the Level
- looking from a place in the foreground
into the far distance across a flat landscape
According to Paul Jacques Grillo, architectural
design may be:
1. Theocratic – based on the absolute and
arbitrary rule of a god
2. Dictatorial – marked by total symmetry
3. Democratic – opens outwards to welcome
people
MOVEMENT
 In two-dimensional arts, movement may
occur as rhythm or the recurrence of motifs,
their alteration or progression in a series.
 In the composition of a painting, directional
lines may suggest movement and direct the
eye of the viewer from one element to
another.
 In three-dimensional arts, the sense of
movement can be implied or actual.
* Movement in the Cinema
Three Interrelated Modes of Movement
 Actors
- consummate sensibility and mobility of
facial expressions
 Camera
*Panning Movement – moves to survey
a scene laterally or vertically
*Tracking Forward – follows a figure in
depth
*Tracking Backward – seems to draw a
figure towards the viewer
*Zooming – makes a sudden movement
zeroing in on a particular figure
 Film Editing and Syntax
- temporal flow through montage
Three Forms of Narration
 Visual – narration through images
 Verbal – dialogue and spoken narratives
 Aural – musical theme that sets mood
and atmosphere
COLOR WHEEL