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CHAPTER 3 –In the visual arts, the subject is presented in "true
METHODS OF PRESENTING ART to-life" manner
–in theater, people are presented as impotent or
struggling subjects who are burdened in a troubled
SUBJECT world
–is the term used for whatever is represented in a work –in literature, characters have flaws in an imperfect
of art. It could be a person, thing, event or situation life where the author injects commentaries about
depicted by the artist. It answers the question "what is social, political or religious issues. It also avoids the
the artwork about?" use of exaggerated heroes in favor of ordinary
people.
KINDS OR SOURCES OF ART SUBJECTS:
REALISM PAINTINGS BY FERNANDO AMORSOLO
1. portraits (the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art", Philippine's
2. everyday life National Artist in Painting, and Philippines' foremost
3. still life portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.)
4. animals
5. figures
6. scapes
7. history
8. legend
9. religion
10. mythology
11. dreams
12. fantasy

Artists have choices as to what ways or methods to use

to present their subjects or to express their ideas. These
methods have their
own background stories as well as characteristic ways of
being presented which are recognizable to most art
enthusiasts or easily understood by would-be art
enthusiasts.

2.
THE MOST COMMON WAYS OF PRESENTING ART
SUBJECTS

1. REALISM
–is a way of presenting a subject the way it looks in
everyday life, the way as seen by the naked eye.
–This method is sometimes disturbing or offending
for if something looks or sounds gory, gross or
shocking, it is depicted also as such.
–realism portrays the objective truth about people,
life or situations, whether good or bad, pleasant or
harsh, ugly or beautiful.
ABSTRACTION
–The word abstract means to "move away" or "to
separate from”
–It is a way of moving away from reality or
separating oneself from the objective truth; it is the
opposite of realism or the objective representation
of art.
– the artist does not present his subject the way it is
found in the actual setting.
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–the artist depicts his subject the way he thinks or
feels about it; he tries to represent his subject
(either visually or verbally) in a manner that
eliminates some measure of physical details and
retains, in his mind, only the essential
characteristics.
–It is subjective, highly personal, opinionated, and
extra-challenging for it constantly asks the viewer to
discover its meaning.
c. Elongation–This is a method used by the artist
when he intentionally lengthens or elongates the
figure of his subject to achieve a desired effect. This
method shows a subject or a part of the subject as
irregularly proportional to other parts of the subject
like the very long neck of the Madonna or the
unusual length of the child and the long arms of
David as seen in the pictures below.

ABSTRACTION CAN BE USED THROUGH:

a. Distortion– the artist bends, twists or
misshapes the image to achieve an unnatural
deviation of shape or position of any part of the
subject's body producing visible deformity.
What appears is a subject, misshapen or
twisted, totally unlike as it appears in reality.
b. Cubism–the artist uses geometrical shapes to
represent his subjects. The subjects are
presented as a series of cubes, cones, or
spherical shapes which can be seen from
d. Mangling–This is an uncommon way used by the
different angles or viewpoints all together at
artist to present his subject. He achieves the effect by
the same time. According to Wikipedia, "in
cutting, chopping, mutilating, lacerating, or hacking the
cubist artworks, objects are broken up,
image.
analyzed, and re assembled in an abstracted
form-instead of depicting objects from one
viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a
multitude of viewpoints to represent the
subject in a greater context... the surfaces
intersect at seemingly random angles, removing
a coherent sense of depth. The background and
object planes interpenetrate one another to
create the shallow ambiguous space, one of
cubism's distinct characteristics." e. Abstract Expressionism
– is a movement of painting which began in New
Spanish painter Pablo Picasso is often credited as the York City that tried to declare its independence
first Abstract artist who co-developed with Georges from European styles.
Braque the Cubist method between 1908 and 1912. –according to www.answers.com, "a school of
painting that flourished after World War II until the
early 1960s, characterized by the view that art is
nonrepresentational and chiefly improvisational....
The movement comprised many styles but shared
several characteristics. The works were usually
abstract (i.e., they depicted forms not found in the
natural world); they emphasized freedom of
emotional expression, technique, and execution;
they displayed a single unified, undifferentiated
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field, network, or other image in unstructured
space; and the canvases were large, to enhance the
visual effect and project monumentality and
power."
–the act of painting becomes an art itself as the
process of painting becomes a drama of its own.
The artist becomes the star as he unleashes his
ideas on canvas, showing the glorification of the act
of painting as a means of visual communication.
–This method is also called "action painting".
–The following pictures are of Jackson Pollock, the
quintessential action painter executing his craft by
interlacing lines of dripped and poured paint on a
very large canvas.
Other abstract expressionist works:
3. SYMBOLISM
–is
the
artist's way of presenting his idea or feeling using a
representation or sign to stand for something other
than itself.
– An artist uses signs to stand for things which he
wants to be represented, and these are oftentimes
universally understood because of conventional
usage, connection or general relationship.
–Symbolism in literature can be achieved by
representing the story's theme on a physical level.
–below is a picture of the Canadian War Museum
building. Its facade represents the bow of the ship,
symbolizing the navy and the role it played in
wartime
–The UP Oblation, the iconic symbol of the
University of the Philippines, is a 3.5 meter concrete
sculpture painted to look like bronze, symbolizing
the 350 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. It
represents selfless dedication and service to the
nation, and as Guillermo E. Tolentino, the sculptor
himself.
4. DADAISM
– is a short-lived art movement which began in
Switzerland in 1916 and ended in 1922.
–from the French word dada which means "hobby
horse"
–According to www.historymania.com, the basis of
Dada is nonsense. It began as a protest movement
against World War I for it sees war as an absurd and
barbaric exercise. It sought to ruin art for a world which
did not deserve it.
–Dada was a way to express the confusion felt by many
people as their world turned upside down. There was
no attempt to find meaning in disorder, but rather to
accept disorder as the nature of the world.
–This movement rejects the traditional way of art
appreciation and how art is defined in contemporary art
scenes. Dadaists produced art works that showed the
sad and sorry state of the world which the capitalists did
not like and opined as "ridiculous and irrelevant and
therefore should be destroyed."
–This method ignores aesthetics and intends to offend
man's sensibilities. If art was to have at least an implicit
or latent message, Dada strove to have no meaning -
interpretation of Dada is dependent entirely on the
viewer.
–It rejects traditional culture and aesthetics which
hoped to reach a personal understanding of the true
nature of the world.
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–This method then uses chaos, irrationality, and
nonsense as a way of presenting its subjects.
5.
FAUVISM
–is rooted in the French word "fauve" which means
"wild beast".
–This is an early-20th-century movement (1898-
1906) in painting begun by a group of French artists
and marked by the use of bold, often distorted
forms and vivid colors. The movement's name is
derived from the judgment of a critic who visited
the Fauvists' first exhibit in Paris (1905) and referred
to the artists disparagingly as
"les fauves" ("wild beasts").
–Painters who use this method use bold colors,
oftentimes unmixed and straight from
commercially-produced tubes, spontaneous and
rough execution (oftentimes referred to as
abnormal painting techniques) coupled with
turbulent emotionalism.
–The dominant figure of the group was Henri
Matisse; others were André Derain, Maurice de
Vlaminck, Raoul Dufy, Georges Braque, and Georges
Rouault.
6. SURREALISM
–is a combination of two words, super and realism.
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities of
World War I and the most important center of the
movement was Paris.
– Surrealists believe that excessive rational and
bourgeois thinking brought about World War I. Its
leader, Andre Breton, a medical/psychiatric doctor who
treated shell-shocked army soldiers using
psychoanalysis, believed that Freud's work with free
association, dream analysis and the hidden unconscious
was of great importance in developing methods to
liberate imagination.
–aimed to revolutionize human experience, including its
personal, cultural, social, and political aspects, by
freeing people from what they saw as false rationality,
and restrictive customs and traditions.
–In literature, surrealists believe in "automatic writing",
spontaneously writing without censoring one's
thoughts. It values the significance of dreams and
disdains literal interpretations of objects, It gives more
significance to poetic undercurrents as
well as to connotations and overtones. Although
automatic writing may appear to be spontaneous and
totally unplanned, "it is actually edited and well thought
of", according to Breton.
–In music, several works by musicians like Edgard
Varese's Arkana was inspired by a dream sequence
–Surrealism is also found in the improvisation in jazz
and blues music
Politically, surrealism is leftist, anarchist or communist,
believing in man's freedom and in anti-colonial
revolution.
–In the visual arts, it is a method which is a
combination of the depictive, the abstract, and the
psychological- to stand for the alienation which many
people felt in the modern period, combined with the
sense of reaching more deeply into the psyche, to be
"made whole with one's individuality"
–In theater, Antonin Artaud tried to create a new
theatrical form which would be "immediate and direct,
linking the unconscious minds of performers and
spectators,.... where emotions, feelings, and the
metaphysical were expressed not through text or
dialogue but physically, creating a mythological,
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typical, symbolic vision, closely related to the world of
dreams." This was called the Theater of Cruelty, the
predecessor of the theater of the absurd.
7. FUTURISM
–the artist draws, paints or chooses subjects borne
out of modern technology or products of modem
living and tries to capture the essence and vitality of
modern life. The Futurists admire speed,
technology, youth and violence, the car, the
airplane and the industrial city, all that represented
the technological triumph of humanity over nature,
and they are passionate nationalists. Suffice to say,
they do not like the past and abhor tradition. They
often painted modern urban scenes and vehicles in
motion while futurist music rejected tradition and
introduced experimental sounds inspired by
machinery.
– In literature, it can be characterized by its
"unexpected combinations of images and hyper-
conciseness (not to be confused with the actual
length of the poem). The Futurists called their style
of poetry parole in libertà (word autonomy) in
which all ideas of meter were rejected and the word
became the main unit of concern. In this way, the
Futurists managed to create a new language free of
syntax punctuation, and metrics that allowed for
free expression." (http.en.wikipedia.org)
–In theater, futuristic works are characterized by
scenes that are of few sentences long, have an
emphasis on nonsensical humor, and attempt to
discredit the deep rooted traditions via parody and
other devaluation techniques.
8.
IMPRESSIONISM
– Impressionism as an art movement and method
began in Paris during the late 1860's and early
1870's. French impressionism was spontaneous,
colour-sensitive style of painting.
– It rejected the conventions of the academic art
and gave way to naturalistic and down to earth
treatment of subject matter.
– Impressionist artists sought to capture fleeting
moments and use natural colour schemes offering a
whole new pictorial language. Impressionistic
painting includes visible brush strokes, light colors
with emphasis on light in its changing qualities to
accentuate the effects of passage of time and
unusual visual angles.
– The movement indirectly paved the way for the
artistic style of the 20th century. Famous artists of
the Impressionist movement included Claude
Monet (1840-1926), Camille Pisarro (1803), Pierre
Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Alfred Sisley (1839-
1899), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Edouard Manet
(1832-83), Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), Berthe
Morisot (1841-95) and Mary Cassatt (1845-1926)
– In literature, impressionism presents a subject
through the prism of the artist's sensibility and thru
the creative process to bring about aesthetic
awareness.
– Impressionistic writing seeks not to convey a
message but rather to evoke a mood or an
atmosphere where both artist and reader find
significant meaning. Notable writers like Emil Zola
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claimed to have applied impressionistic techniques
in his literary works and praised Monet's
Naturalism; Stephane Mallarme' called by Victor
Hugo "Cher Poete Impressioniste" and novelists
James Joyce in his novels "Ulysses" and his semi-
autobiographical work "A Portriat of the Artist as a
Young Man" as well as Virginia Woolf in her novel
"The Lighthouse" and "Mrs. Dalloway". used
literary techniques called "Stream of
Consciousness" where character unfolds by means
of the ebb and flow of personal impressions,
feelings and thoughts. Impressionistic literature
attempts to represent through syntactic variation
the fragmentary and discontinuous nature of the
sensations of modern men in urban civilization.
9. EXPRESSIONISM
– refers to "art that expresses intense emotion".
The artists work is an expression of his inner
experience rather than solely realistic portrayal
– According to www.artmovements.co.uk,
expressionism is "an artistic style in which the artist
attempts to depict not objective reality but rather
the subjective emotions and responses that objects
and events arouse in him. He accomplishes his aim
through distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and
fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or
dynamic application of formal elements.
– Expressionism is one of the main currents of art in
the later 19th and the 20th centuries, and its
qualities of highly subjective, personal, spontaneous
self-expression are typical of a wide range of
modern artists and art movements
– In literature, the writer uses expressionism
through disturbing incidents, tense dialogue,
exaggerations and distortions characterized by
chaotic, frenzied imagery and vehement tone.
– In music, expressionism puts the emotional
expression above everything else. Expressionistic
music is often dissonant, fragmented, and densely
written, portraying what is going on inside the
composer's mind; it is an expression of what is felt.
– in theater, expressionist plays often dramatize
the spiritual awakening and sufferings of their
protagonists, The protagonists in a typical
expressionist play journey through a series of
incidents that are often not causally related, often
dramatizing the struggle against bourgeois values
and established authority.
– In architecture, expressionism refers to
architecture of any date or location that exhibits
some of the qualities of the original movement
such as distortion, fragmentation or the
communication of violent or overstressed
emotion.
CHAPTER 4
ELEMENTS OF
VISUAL ARTS
Elements of the
visual arts are
the basic
"building
blocks" that are used in
producing a work of art. They are the things or raw
materials that are used by the visual artist to come up
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with a drawing, painting, design, or sculpture. They are
also referred to as Elements of Design which are used as
a basis for judging or evaluating an artwork. Without
these elements, no art work would result.

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF THE VISUAL ARTS b. Vertical lines are the most powerful lines in visual
art. They are associated with a feeling of strength,
1. LINE
height, integrity, solidity, dominance and power
– is a series of points which moves to a certain
such as when viewing a tree, skyscraper, flagpole or
direction and also defines the shape of an object.
anything else standing tall and sturdy. Solid vertical
– Lines have direction and meaning and they could
lines are attention-getters and can be used to create
either be straight or curved.
tension, to act as direct guides and paths, and to act
– Straight lines are often associated with energy,
as dividers and natural frames. They are powerful
firmness, strength or vitality; it connotes strength,
composition elements and as such, should be used
rigidity or stability. Curved lines suggest grace and
with care.
are softer than straight lines. Curved lines also
express fluid movement. They can be calm or
dynamic depending on how much they curve. The
less active the curve, the calmer the feeling.
– Straight lines move in one direction only. They
could either be horizontal, vertical or diagonal.

c. Diagonal lines are lines of action. They have no

a. Horizontal lines are always associated with peace,
serenity and calmness; they lend a lazy, quiet
feeling to a photograph or a painting. Some
examples of using horizontal lines to create a
calming mood are long, rolling waves on a
shoreline, the solid line of a fallen tree; and
capturing the peaceful line of an
ocean horizon. The calm, relaxed
feeling created in all of these scenes
can be further enhanced by using a
horizontal format.
equal in visual intensity; they suggest dynamism
and life and are often considered the most
interesting. They represent movement and
animation and they can lead you into the frame of
the picture and to the center of interest.
2. COLOR
– is the most appealing element of the arts because
it is the most attractive and aesthetic.
– Color is produced by the action of waves of light
upon the human eye. Color then, is a property of
light; naturally, without light, no color would exist.
When light strikes a surface, some of the color rays
are reflected, some are absorbed, and others pass
through.
– Color has three attributes: hue, value and
intensity.
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 Hue is another word for color. The hues of
the rainbow are the colors which we call
them: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo and violet. These hues are either
primary, secondary or tertiary.
–Primary Colors - red, blue, yellow. These
colors are not results of mixing any other
colors and are the starting point for every
other color.
– Secondary Colors - This is the term used
to describe colors that are created by
mixing two primary colors. There are three
secondary colors: green (made up of
blue+yellow); Violet (made up of red+blue);
and orange (made up of blue+ +yellow)
– Tertiary Colors - These colors are created by
mixing primary and secondary colors. There are
six of these: red-orange, yellow-green, blue-
violet, red-violet, yellow-orange, and blue-
green.
 Value
– is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a
color. It is an important tool for the designer/artist,
in the way that it defines form and creates spatial
illusions. Value changes are obtained by adding
black or white to a color
– Adding white to a hue produces a high-value
color, often called a tint.
– Adding black to a hue produces a low-
value color, often called a shade
– Shades are the relative darkness of a color and
tints are the relative lightness of a color
– Maroon is a shade of red while pink is a tint of
red; sky blue is a tint of blue and midnight blue is a
shade of blue
 Intensity
–is the brightness or darkness of a color; it is also
referred to as saturation. If the color is very bright,
then it has a high intensity; if it is dull, then it has a
low intensity. A brilliant yellow, a very vibrant red,
and a strong, rich blue - these are said to be intense,
or saturated. Duller versions of these colors then,
are lacking in intensity.
– When colors of the same hue but different
intensity are seen together, the more intense color
will be perceived as being more intense. This is due
to color relativity. In the example below, the middle
color will appear more intense next to the lower
intensity color on the right.
–A
more intense color will attract the eye and be seen
first and more prominently. Such a color will have
more visual weight than a less intense one.
–A lower intensity color will also be seen as
receding or being farther than a more intense color
of the same hue
– The green color bar on the left will appear to be
closer than the green bar on the right.
COLOR: ITS PSYCHOLOGY AND MEANING
Red, yellow and orange are considered as
warm colors while blue, green and violet are
considered as cool colors. These colors
have varied effects on the viewer.
Warm colors affect the viewer physiologically; he
sees warm colors as brighter, lighter and more
forward while cool colors are more somber, relaxing
and distant. Warm colors are advancing colors for
they make objects appear larger and nearer
whereas cool colors are known as receding colors
for they make objects appear smaller and farther
than they seem to be. Physically, warm colors cause
body temperatures to rise while cool colors are
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have the opposite effect of lowering respiration
rates.
 RED–is the most emotionally intense color. It
stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing; it is
also the color of love
– in the red: in debt
–caught red-handed: caught in the act
–see red: become angry
–red-letter day: special occasion
–paint the town red: go out and have fun
 ORANGE –is vibrant, the combination of red and
yellow. It denotes energy, warmth, and the sun. As
a warm color, orange is a stimulant–stimulating the
emotions and even the appetite.
 YELLOW– is a warm color; it is the color of sunshine.
It connotes happiness and joy but is also the color
of cowardice and deceit.
– it is considered an optimistic color, people lose
their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and
babies will cry more.
– It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in,
so it can be overpowering if overused.
– Yellow enhances concentration and it also speeds
metabolism
– Yellow-dog contract: "an employment contract in
which a worker disavows membership in and agrees
not to join a labor union in order to get a job"
– Yellow journalism: Journalism that exploits,
distorts, or exaggerates the news to create
sensations and attract readers.
 GREEN– symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on
the eye and can improve vision.
– It is a calming, refreshing color and is the most
popular color used in decorating rooms.
– People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green
rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because
it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore
green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine,
conservative, and implies wealth
– seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on
the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad
luck
– Green also symbolizes freshness or being new
– Green-horn: beginner; an inexperienced person
–Green with envy: full of desire for someone else's
possessions or
advantages
–Green-eyed monster: jealousy
 BLUE– is the color of the sky and the ocean and is
one of the most popular colors.
– It symbolizes peace and calmness. Blue is said to
cause the body to produce calming chemicals
– wearing blue to job interviews symbolizes loyalty.
– Blue can also be cold and depressing.
– People are also more productive in blue rooms.
Studies show weightlifters are able to handle
heavier weights in blue gyms
– Have the blues: being sad or melancholy
–Black and blue: bruised
–Blues: music by African-Americans characterized
by raw emotion and suffering.
 INDIGO– is a deep, rich dark blue It is sometimes
referred to as royal blue since during the
Elizabethan times, only privileged people could
wear this color.
– symbolic meaning of the color indigo was power,
importance and wealth.
– Indigo with the color blue has a Biblical meaning
symbolizing heavenly grace.
 VIOLET– is closely associated with thoughts of
royalty and spirituality
– Because it's a mixture of two colors, violet
containing more red will be warmer, brighter and
more intense. It will tend to create color meanings
more closely associated with red: violet containing
more blue will naturally have more of the cool,
calming color symbolism of blue.
 WHITE– is purity, cleanliness, and innocence
– white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches
for some. Too much bright white can also be
blinding
– in most Western countries, white is the color for
brides. In the East, it's the color for mourning and
funerals.
– Some cultures view white as the color of royalty
or of deities. Angels are typically depicted as
wearing white
– In early Westerns, the good guy wore white while the
bad guy wore black.
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– White lie: a lie told to avoid the painful implications of –Shape is the element of art which refers to the
a truth form made when a line or lines enclose an area.
–White elephant: a valuable possession of which its Three straight lines can become a triangle while
owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost four straight lines can be formed into a square or
of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or rectangle. Thus, when lines form together, they
worth. become shapes.
 BLACK–can represent mystery, secrecy, or doom. It – three basic shapes: circle, triangle, and rectangle
is often regarded as representing evil. but a shape has two dimensions only: a length and a
– In the Western world, many people wear black to width.
funerals to show mourning.
– Black is the absence of color.
– in clothing, black is visually slimming. Among
young people, black is often seen as a color of
–Closely related to shape is form. If shape has two
rebellion.
dimensions, form has three: length, width and height. It
– Black is both positive and negative
gives depth to shapes like cones, cubes, or spheres.
– It is the color for little boys in China
Form gives visual weight to shapes...and every kind of
– Black can make other colors appear brighter.
form has its own aesthetic effect (Ariola, 2008)
– Black, like other dark colors, can make a room
appear to shrink in size and even a well-lit room
looks dark with a lot of black
– Black market: The illegal business of buying or
selling goods or currency in violation of restrictions 5. SPACE
such as price controls or rationing. –Space is the area occupied by the subject in an
–Black list: list of persons or things considered artwork
undesirable or deserving punishment. –Painting does not deal with space directly for it is
–Little black book: an address book, especially one represented in a 2-dimensional surface.
kept by a man, with the names of women –Space could either be positive or negative.
considered available for dating. –Positive space refers to the area occupied by the
subject while negative space is the area not
covered by the subject.
3. TEXTURE
–Texture is an element of the visual arts which is
closely related to the sense of touch. It is the way a
surface feels to the touch; it may be rough, smooth,
fine, coarse, grainy or sharp.
6. PERSPECTIVE
–It is experienced when something is stroked or
– is the element of art which is directly influenced
when the hand glides over a surface. The texture of
by distance. It is the effect of distance, position or
the material is real if it can be felt like when one
height on the appearance of objects.
touches a piece of sculpture or architecture. In
–Perspective could either be linear or aerial
paintings and in drawings, it is sometimes implied or
–Linear perspective is how objects look like when
suggested with the clever use of lines, lights or
lines seemingly converge in the distance. It gives the
shadows.
illusion of depth and distance.
–Texture can also be created through illusion.
–Aerial perspective is how things appear when seen
from a distance as affected by diffusion of light in
the atmosphere. It makes far objects look hazier
4. SHAPE
and lighter in tone while near objects appear clearer
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and have more intense colors. It is also called several principles in organizing these elements is
atmospheric perspective. needed. These guideposts are called the principles of
design.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
–are the beliefs on how to work with and arrange the
different elements of the arts. They are the beliefs or
guidelines used for putting elements together to create
effective communication of the artist's feelings or ideas.
If the elements are the "what" of a design, the
principles are the "how". Using the recipe metaphor,
the elements are the ingredients and the principles are
the directions in cooking these ingredients.

1. BALANCE
–refers to the "visual weight" of lines, forms,
textures or colors
– It is the power of attraction of each element, the
quality which gains and holds the attention (Ariola,
2008) of the viewer.
–Balance can either be symmetrical, asymmetrical
or radial.
 Symmetrical balance is also known as
7. VALUE formal balance or bilateral symmetry. It is
–is the element of art which is directly associated a condition wherein the visual weights on
with light. It deals with the darkness (shades) or both sides are exactly alike; the elements
lightness (tints) of a color and is key to the illusion used on one side of the design are similar to
that light those on the other side.
gives.  Asymmetrical balance or informal balance
–The combination of light and dark values is a kind of balance wherein objects of
contributes to the beauty of any artwork especially unequal weights or attraction are placed at
used in an art technique called chiaroscuro–is a correct distances from the center. The sides
"contrast in illumination between light and dark are different but still look balanced for the
areas". The term chiaroscuro comes from the words weights are equal but the elements are not
chiaro which means "light" and scuro, "dark". the same.
–Tersiisky 2008 states that visual weight is
influenced by the following:
>>Position - the farther an element is from
the center, the heavier it will feel; a large
object placed near the center can be
balanced by a smaller object placed near
the edge
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN >>Size - larger feels heavier
>>Texture - an element with more complex
The different elements of the arts have to be organized
texture is heavier visually than one with a
well so that their combinations will produce pleasing,
simple texture or no texture at all
beautiful and interesting artworks. As such, following
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ART APPRECIATION
>>Isolation - an isolated element has more
visual weight
>>Value - darker feels heavier
>>Value contrast - the higher the value-
contrast, the heavier the weight
>>Quantity - multiple small objects can
balance one larger object
>>Orientation - a diagonal orientation
carries more visual weight than a horizontal
or vertical one
>>Shape - elements that have more
complex shapes feel heavier than those
with simple shapes
>>Color - the brighter and more intense its
color, the heavier the element will feel
 Radial balance is a kind of balance wherein
the elements are arranged from a central
point or radiate from the center or swirl
around in a circular or spiral path. Its
balance is based on a circle with its design
extending from the center.
2. PROPORTION
–is the relative size of an object in relation to other
objects in the design.
–This is the pleasing effect that is achieved when a
whole and its parts and between parts themselves
are not too big nor too small for one another. If
they are, they are "out of proportion" and are not
pleasing to the eyes.
3. HARMONY
– is the governing principle that one achieves when
a relationship exists among the various elements
of the artwork.
– It is the visually satisfying effect of combining
similar or related elements; it unifies every part of
the arrangement or design and is achieved when all
the elements seem to "belong" together.
–ways to achieve unity in your compositions:
a. Similarity: Try repeating colors, shapes, values,
textures, or lines to create a visual relationship
between the elements.
b. Continuity: Treat different elements in the same
manner. Continuity helps to create "family
resemblances" between different forms. This helps
to tie them together by creating an uninterrupted
connection or union.
c. Alignment: Arranging shapes so that the line or
edge of one shape leads into another helps creates
unity in your design. When an element is placed in a
composition, it creates an implied horizontal and
vertical axis at its top, bottom, center and sides.
Aligning other elements to these axes creates a
visual relationship which unifies them.
d. Proximity: Group related items together so that
these related items are seen as one cohesive group
rather than a bunch of unrelated elements.
Elements that are positioned close to one another
are perceived as being related while elements that
are farther apart are considered less related. How
close together or far apart elements are placed in a
composition suggests a relationship (or lack of)
between otherwise disparate parts. Using a "third
element" such as a road to connect near-by
elements with distant ones also helps to create a
sense of relationship between the forms which are
not grouped together.
4. RHYTHYM
–is a beat, a repetition or an organized movement
with the recurrence of a line, shape or color.
–When lines, shapes or colors are repeated, a
pattern is produced which the eyes follow form left
to right, producing a rhythm.
–Rhythm allows the eyes to move around from one
object to another and creates a harmonious
atmosphere in a room.
–Rhythm is created through repetition of line, form,
texture and color. It can also be created by
progression which is simply a gradual increasing or
decreasing in size, direction or color.
5. EMPHASIS
–is the principle of creating a focal point, center of
attention or a point of interest in a design
– It is bringing attention to what is most important,
catching the eye of the viewer and making him stop
and look at the image
–In decorating a room, the focal point is an obvious
feature in a room to which the eye is attracted and
could be anything from a fireplace, a piece of
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ART APPRECIATION
artwork, or a window treatment featuring a 5. Black market
beautiful view. 6. Green horn
7. Paint the town red
TEST EXERCISES 8. White lie
9. Have the blues
Write TRUE or FALSE. 10. Black list

1. Lines are the most appealing elements of the visual

arts.
WHAT COLOR SIGNIFIES
2. Horizontal lines connote movement and life.
1. Mystery?
3. Vertical lines show strength, power and
solidity. 2. Debt?
4. Color exists due to the presence of light. 3. Inexperience?
5. Hues can either be pure or a mixture of
4. Happiness?
colors.
6. Primary colors are products of mixtures of 5. Sadness?
other colors. 6. Cleanliness?
7. To appear slimmer, one should wear colors of
lower intensity. 7. Royalty?
8. Colors can have dual meanings. 8. Power?
9. Texture can be felt only through the sense of
9. Stimulation?
touch.
10. Shapes are formed through lines enclosing a 10. Cowardice?
space.
11. Positive space is the area around a subject. Identify the principle of design defined or
12. Perspective is affected by distance describe below. Write the letter only.
or height. A. Balance C. Harmony D. Rhythm
13. The colors blue and green have E. Emphasis B. Proportion
calming or cooling effects.
14. Indigo is the color of royalty during 1. Is the visual weight of lines, forms, textures
the olden times. or colors.
15. Form gives weight to shapes.
2. Is achieved when the parts of a whole are
not too big or too small for one another
3. Is achieved when all the elements bind or
"belong" together
4. Is achieved when a center of interest is
P or N? Write P if the following idiomatic created.
expression about
colors has a positive
meaning or N if 5. Results when lines, shapes or colors are
otherwise. repeated
1. Green with envy 6. Is the sensation of equilibrium
2. In the red 7. Is achieved when the eyes move around a
3. Yellow journalism room as its contents bear
4. Black and blue similarities
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ART APPRECIATION
8. Is the result when the visual weight on both
sides are exactly the same
9. Results when all the elements complement
each other
10. Is the result when small rooms
have small-sized furniture too

FILL IN THE BLANKS:

1. To produce pleasing artworks; the artist follows
certain
so the different elements of his work effectively
communicates his ideas or feelings.
2. Symmetrical balance is also known as formal or
symmetry.
3. is a kind of balance
whose weights are equal although the elements are not.
4. A balance that is based
on a circle and the elements are arranged from a central
point.
5. The relative size of an object compared to other
objects in a design is called
6. A way of achieving harmony by arranging shapes so
the line or edge of one shape leads into another is
called
7. Creating a focal point or center of interest in a design
is applying the principle
Of
8. Visual weight can be influenced by the
because the larger the element, the heavier it feels. of
an object
9. and 10. The
of design are the ingredients of a recipe metaphor while
the principles are the
in cooking the ingredients.