1. Unit. 2
Elements of Visual Language
Joan Miró, "La poetesa"

2. Watch this video carefully. It talks about the basic elements of Visual
Language. Can you understand it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nBem1EeO88w#!

3. 1. Dot
• Is the smallest and simplest element in art language. Its first mission is to
indicate position. It has a very strong power to catch visual attention.
• Usually the dot's shape is round. However, it can be represented in different
ways; for example typographical dots are square (in order not to disturb our
visual attention while reading), painting drops are irregular...
Joan Miró, "Blau" E.Signac, "Port de Saint Tropez"

4. 2. Line
• The line is a dot in movement. It is also a mark made on some surface. It can
express many things whith its different positions.
Simple lines Horizontal: it is related with calm and rest. It is used to express
peacefulness
Vertical: it can go up or down. It is related to the movement of
growing up or elevation.
Diagonal: it can express strong movement and inestability
Composed lines Zig-zag: it expresses a deep constrast or movement.
Wavy: it expresses movement but it is softer than the zig-zag
line.

5. Calm
Going down!!
Going up!!
Rhythm
Strong movement
When we put together some lines they made SHAPES!!!

6. • There are some exemples in paintings about the use of lines, look at them!
This song talks about Vicent van
Gogh life's, his personality and
some of the events he was
involved in.
V. Van Gogh, "Starry night", Don McLean music
V. Van Gogh, "Selfportrait with hat"

7. 3. Shape
• A. They can be geometric (circle, square or triangle) or natural (like a leaf
from a tree or a seashell)

8. • B. The Shapes can also be Flat (2D, bidimensional) like a pencil mark on a
paper or Tridimensionals (3D) like a sculpture.
Objects with form take up SPACE or at least they seem to take up space

9. 4. Space
• Space is the area between, around, above and within things. When we
work on a bidimensional surface to represent it we use perspective.

10. 5. Colour
• Colour can often show the space. Colour is the most expressive element of
Art. There are Primary colours (yellow, magenta and cyan) and Secondary
colours (red, purple and green).
Yellow + Magenta= Red
Primary Primary Secondary
colour colour colour Magenta + Cyan = Purple
Yellow + Cyan = Green

11. 6. Value
• Value is the Lightness or Darkness of a colour. When a dark value is close
to a light colour it creates Contrast.
• Colours can create Textures.

12. 7.Texture
• Texture is how a surface feels or looks. Textures can be tactile or
visual, rough/smooth, wet/dry, sof/hard....