MIDTERM ART APPRECIATION

LESSON 4: Understanding the Elements of Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
                a. enumerate the elements of visual art  
                b. observe and apply the different color harmonies in art works
                c. observe and apply principles of art      
                d. express appreciation through active participation
ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS
Elements of arts refer to the stylistic features included within an art piece that help communicate the artists
idea. These common elements are line, shape, texture, form, space, perspective, volume and color. Other
authors add mark making and materiality. These elements are the building blocks or ingredients of art.   
 1. Line is basic among the elements of art. Line could be straight, diagonal, horizontal, vertical or curve. 
Lines suggest ideas. While vertical straight line suggests poise, height or confidence, horizontal line
suggest peace, rest, width or calmness. Diagonal or slanting line suggests movement or direction. Diagonal
line suggests instability. Curved lines suggest softness, safety, familiarity or relaxation. Is it not that a calm
sea is presented in horizontal line? A thin statue standing vertically seems taller than a bigger or stout
statue. A pattern of curved lines gives us a relax feeling. Crooked or jagged lines express energy, violence
conflict and struggle. All forms of art e.g. painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, theater use lines.
 2. Texture in art refers to how the object feels to the touch or the surface quality of a work of art as
perceived by people as smooth or rough. It could be perceived as bumpy or slippery; it maybe is slimy or
grainy; perhaps it feels or seems sandy or gritty. It means the physical composition of something, or the
look and feel of a work of art.. It is an element of two dimensional and three-dimensional designs and is
distinguished by its perceived visual and physical properties. In art there are four types of texture
namely: actual, simulated, abstract or invented. 
 3. Perspective refers to how we perceive the appearance of an object as the effect of distance. In
painting, it means the how we see the position of objects in space. This enables us to perceive distance
and to see the position of objects in space. The two Kinds of perspective are a.) linear perspective and b.)
aerial perspective.
 4. Shape is the result when the ends of a line meet to enclose an area. A circle can be created by having
the ends of a line meet together. A line can create an oblong, a square or any polygon.
 5. Form refers to the over-all design of the piece of art. This implies a plan or an arrangement of the parts
or elements, or an observation of principles of design and media to achieve the desired effect or convey the
message. Form as an element of art is three-dimensional and encloses space. Like a shape, a form has
length and width. Forms are either geometric or free form.
 6. Space refers to the distances or areas around, between and within components of a piece. Space can
be positive or negative, open or closed, shallow or deep and two-dimensional or three-dimensional.
 7. Volume refers to the amount of space occupied in three dimensions. It refers to solidity or thickness.
We perceive volume in two ways by contour lines or shapes of objects, and by surface lights and shadows.
 8. Color does not only refer to hue but also to value. Hue is the name of the color while value refers to the
degree of luminosity whether there is enough light or the lack of it (dark). Color can tell us a lot about a
work of art. Bright colors can make us happy, while darker colors can make us feel sad. Some colors have
universal meaning i.e Red means passion, love, anger; Orange means energy, happiness, vitality; Yellow
means happiness, hope, deceit; Green means new beginnings, abundance, nature; Violet suggests royalty,
dignity, power; Black means evil, uncertainty.
 
           
Three Dimensions of Color
  a. Hue refers to the shade of a color. It means the color without any added white or black to lighten
or darken. It is the pure color. Hue gives color its name. When we say the flower is yellow we are naming
its hue. Colors like red, yellow, blue, green and violet indicate the color characteristic called hue. Blue, red
and yellow are primary colors while green, orange and violet are secondary colors. Secondary colors
results from combining or mixing primary colors. Mixing red and yellow produces orange; Red and blue
produce violet while green is produced by mixing blue and yellow. 
  b. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a hue also sometimes
called chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro means light and shadow. Tints are values above the normal value
while shades are the values below the normal. When we add white to a hue, it lightens the hue and it
produces a high-value color called a tint. When black is added to a hue, a shade is produced. Any hue
when added with white results to a tint, whereas adding black to a hue results to a shade.
  c. Intensity- also called chroma refers to the intensity or saturation. Intensity means the strength of
brightness or darkness of color. Two colors may be the same yellow or red but one is more intense than the
other. Adding white or black to any color would weaken the intensity of that color.
LESSON 5: COLOR HARMONY
Everything around us has colors. The sky, the sea, the trees and flowers, the animals, the fish, insects and
every object visible to the naked eye have colors. Colors affect the senses. Colors      possess a power of
their own. How many of us are enthralled just by looking at a beautiful painting because of the colors used
by the artist? An ordinary wall comes alive when a color is applied. A simple surface creates a pleasant or
odd feeling because of its color. Every pigment of color when used properly and intelligently on a piece of
art can bring people an experience so great it can have a different impact to them.
            To the artists, for example, a painter, colors are not just pigments to be applied on a canvas. To a
sculptor, colors are not just hues of a surface. They are part of their being; they are part of          their
emotions, their ideas, including their conscious and sub-conscious feelings. When colors are picked, they
form part of the idea or the process of getting into the idea. Colors help the artists achieve their desired
effect or objectives. That is why understanding colors is important i.e. what colors go together and what
not. 
SIX COLOR HARMONIES
             a. Complementary Colors are pairs of colors which when combined or mixed, cancel each other
out by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the
strongest contrast for those two colors. These are also called opposite colors. Examples of complementary
colors are Green and Red, Yellow and Violet, Blue and Orange. They are positioned opposite on the color
wheel.
[           b. Split Complementary Color is a color scheme using one base color and two secondary colors.
Instead of using a complementary color, two colors placed symmetrically around on the color wheel are
used. Basically, split complementary color scheme involves there colors. You start with one color, then find
its complement and then use the two colors on either side of it. For example, the complement of blue-
green is red-orange and the split complement of blue-green would be red and orange.
            c. Analogous colors group of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel and a
tertiary color. Examples are Red, Orange and Red-Orange, Violet, Red Violet and Red, Yellow, Green and
Yelow Green.  
             d. Triadic color harmonies – a triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around
the color wheel. This is comprised of three colors. For example: Red, Blue and Yellow, Orange, Purple
(Violet) and Green.
             e. Tetradic harmonies uses four colors that are two sets of complements, for example Yellow-
Violet and Green-Red. The tetrad colors do not need to be equally spaced in the color wheel, as long as
they are couples of complementaries.
             f. Monochromatic harmonies use only one color in different tones, tints and shades. This is
achieved by adding white or black to a certain hue. For example, adding white to red creates pink, adding
black to red creates maroon, etc. The resulting color depends on the amount of white or black added to a
particular hue.
Principles of Art
            The ten principles of art are balance, emphasis, harmony, movement, pattern, proportion, repetition,
rhythm, unity and variety.
 1. Balance, one principle of organization of visual or structural elements, refers to the sense of distribution
of perceived visual weight that offset one another. It equalizes visual forces or elements in a work of art. If a
work of art has a visual balance, the viewer feels that the elements have been in a satisfying way.
             Two types of Balance
            a. Symmetrical Balance refers to balance achieved by arranging elements on either side of the
center of a composition in an equally weighted manner. Symmetrical balance can be thought of as 50/50
balance or like a mirror image.
b. Asymmetrical Balance is a design that looks balanced despite a lack of symmetry. This is an
alternative to symmetry that is far more difficult to master or achieve.
2. Emphasis in art is defined as an area or an object within the artwork that draws attention and becomes
a focal point. Subordination is defined as minimizing or toning down other compositional elements in order
to bring attention to the focal point.
3. Harmony is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. For instance, adjacent
colors on the color wheel, similar shapes, etc.
4. Movement is the action suggested in the artwork. Moreover, it means the tendency or style in art with a
specific common philosophy or goal followed by a group of artists during a specific period of time.
5. Pattern is described as a repetition of specific visual elements.
6. Proportion in art is the relationships of two or more elements in a composition and how they compare to
one another with respect to size, color, quantity, degree, setting, etc.
7. Repetition is seen as one of the fundamentals of creativity. It helps to create a sense of movement
within an artwork. It is a recurrence of a particular line, pattern shape or other visual elements in a single or
part of the series. 
8. Rhythm in art is a principle of design that suggests movement or action. Rhythm is easily achieved by
repetition of lines, shapes, color, and more. It creates a visual tempo in artworks and provides a path for the
viewers’ eyes to follow.
9. Unity in art is a principle that refers to a set of compositional strategies used by an artist to make the
parts of a painting or another work of art hang together as a whole through visual relatedness. 
10. Variety in art is a principle that adds interest to an artwork. Variety works through juxtaposition and
contrast.  When an artist places different visual elements next to one another, he/she is using variety. 
LESSON 6 The Artists and their Mediums
Lesson 1 Understanding the Mediums of Painting
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
                a. state the difference between mediums and technique
                b. state the points of differences of various arts
                c. express appreciation of art through exploration of its elements
                d. show enjoyment in doing class activities
On Mediums and Techniques
Mediums refer to the materials which are used by an artist. Medium in art answers the question: “What is it
made of?”. The artist chooses or picks a medium he/she can successfully manipulate to express his
feelings or thoughts. These are the same materials he uses to produce a work of art. Many of these
mediums have been used in creating different works of art. Architects use wood, bamboo, bricks, stones,
concrete and various other building materials. A sculpture uses steel, marble, bronze, copper, metal or
wood. While a musician uses sound and instruments to create a work of art called music, a writer uses
words in writing pieces of literature.
            Some artists are good working with a particular medium that somehow limits his/her success using
other mediums. Some works of art are better achieved through a particular medium. For example, a
sculpture may be excellent in using wood but lousy in marble. A painter is maybe very good in using oil but
encounters difficulty using watercolor. The success of a medium largely depends on the artists’ ability to
manipulate it. Some medium have special characteristics that others lack. Therefore, the success of an
artist solely depends on his choice of medium.
            Meanwhile, technique is the manner at which the artist controls his medium to achieve a desired
effect. It simply refers to the skills used by the artist in manipulating the medium. For example, although
there are many techniques in painting, brushing remains the basic technique. One of these techniques is
pointillism where the artist uses points in creating images on a surface. Spray painting means the artist
uses sprayer in creating a visual art. Blotting is another technique. A painter who has mastered many
techniques has an advantage to produce a variety of aesthetic effects on his works. A type of artist may
use a particular technique or a combination of these. What do you think are the techniques of a sculptor; of
a ceramic or pottery maker?
The Artist and his Mediums
            Before an artist begins to create a work of art, he has to choose a medium or mediums and think
about the right technique or techniques to apply. Oftentimes, the matter of selecting a medium solely
depends on the artist himself since this is part of his inspiration. He, of course, selects a medium because
he thinks he can handle the medium with ease and where his plan is most likely to succeed.
            The distinctive character of the medium determines the way it can be manipulated or controlled by
the artist to come up with a work of art. The nature of a medium determines how a work of art may be
realized. For example stone must be chiseled, metal must be cast, and wood must be carved. Each
medium has its own characteristics which determine the physical appearance of the finished product.
 The Artist and his Technique
            Apparently, artists differ from one another in technique even if they use the same medium.
Technique differs in the various artists. One artist’s technique in one medium will be quite different from the
technique in another. A painter may have a fine technique in oil (medium) but has poor technique in water
color (another medium).  
MEDIUMS OF VISUAL ARTS
A. PAINTING
            Painting is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments. Each
medium, exerts a pronounced effects on the finished product, is capable of  varied treatment and
determines its own stroke. The materials of the painter are pigments applied to wet plaster, canvas or
paper.
 Mediums of Painting
 1. Watercolor. As a medium, watercolor is difficult to handle because it is difficult to produce warm and
rich tones but it invites brilliance and a variety of hues.
2. Fresco. This is painting on a moist plaster surface with colors ground in water or a limewater mixture.
The colors dry into plaster and the picture becomes a part of the wall. Fresco is also known as wall
painting.  Michaelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” in the Sistine chapel ceiling is an example of fresco.
3. Tempera. Tempera paints are mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk or egg white and ore. The egg
white or yolk are used as binder due to its film forming properties and rapid drying rate. Corrections are
difficult to make because it dries quickly and does not possess the flexibility of oil.
4. Pastel. This is a stick of dried paste made of pigment ground with chalk and compounded with gum
water. Its colors are luminous; it is a very flexible medium.
5. Encaustic. This is one of the mediums used by Egyptians for the painted portrait on mummy cases. This
is done by painting with wax colors fixed with heat.   
6. Oil. Oil painting is the heaviest of painting media. It’s very flexible so corrections can be made. The artist
can use a brush, palette knife or even his hands when applying. Although this medium dries slowly, turns
yellowish or darker and breaks over a period of time, the finished work appears glossy and can last long. 
7. Acrylic. Contemporary artist uses this medium because it possesses the transparency and quick-drying
characteristic of watercolor and flexibility of the oil. This is a synthetic paint mixed with acrylic emulsions as
binder for coating the surface of the artwork. It does not break easily over a period of time.
8. Mosaic. This art is a picture or decoration made of small pieces of inlaid colored stones or glass called
“tesserae” which most often are cut into squares glued on a surface with plaster or cement. A mosaic is
classified as painting although the medium used is not strictly pigment.
9. Stained Glass. This is common in Gothic cathedrals and churches. This is made by combining many
small pieces of colored glass which are held together by bands of lead. It resembles a patchwork. The
images or pictures in the stained glass reflect the lives of saints.
10. Tapestry. This is a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads ate woven by hand to
produce a design often pictorials, wall hangings, and furniture covering.
11. Drawing. This is usually done on paper using pencil, pen and ink or charcoal. This is considered the
most fundamental training for artist because it enables him to concentrate on the use of line.
12. Bistre. It is a brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood and often used in pen and wash
drawings.
13. Crayon. These are pigments bound by wax and compressed into sticks used for drawing. They adhere
better on paper surface.
14. Charcoal. These are carbonaceous materials obtained by heating wood in the absence of oxygen.
15. Silverpoint. This was popular during the renaissance period. The artist draws with the silver stylus on
specially prepared paper to produce thin grayish lines.
16. Printmaking. Anything printed on a surface that is direct result from duplicating process. This process
enables the artist to produce more than one copy. There are five major types of prints namely: woodcut,
engraving, relief, intaglio and stencil printing.
 
Photography as an Art Medium
             Photography is the art of taking and processing photographs. This is the art application and
practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electro-magnetic radiation, either by means
of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light sensitive material such as photographic film
(https:/en.m.wikipedia.org). This results to a two-dimensional artwork like a painting. It arose as an art
medium brought about by the advancement in technology.
 
Rule of Thirds is a Rule of Thumb or guideline in composing visual images. This means the photographer
mentally divides up the image using 2 horizontal lines and two vertical lines. To put it simply, divide the
image into nine equal sections.This is done to achieve an off-center composition which is believed to be
more pleasing to the eyes than putting the subject at the center of the frame.