3. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
Art
The formal expression of a
conceived image or imagined
conception in terms of a given
medium.
4. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
abstraction
A term for the visual effects derived by the
simplification and/or rearrangement of the
appearance of natural objects, or
nonrepresentational work arranged simply to
satisfy artists„ needs for organization
or expression.
Abstraction is present in varying degrees in all
works of art, from full representation to
complete nonobjectivity.
5. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
aesthetic, aesthetics
The theory of the artistic or the "beautiful"; traditionally a
branch of philosophy, but now a compound of the
philosophy, psychology, and sociology of art. As such,
aesthetics is no longer solely confined to determining
what is beautiful in art, but attempts to discover the
origins of sensitivity to art forms and the relationship
between art and other aspects of culture (such as
science, industry, morality, philosophy, and religion).
Frequently, aesthetics is used in this book to mean
concern with artistic qualities of form, as opposed to
descriptive form or the mere recording of facts in visual
form.
9. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
content
The expression, essential
meaning, significance, or
aesthetic value of a work of
art. Content refers to the
sensory, subjective,
psychological, or emotional
properties we feel in a work
of art, as opposed to our
perception of its descriptive
aspects alone.
10. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
craftsmanship
Aptitude, skill, or
quality workmanship
in the use of tools
and materials.
11. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
decorative (art, line,
shape, color, etc.)
Ornamenting or enriching
but, more importantly in art,
emphasizing the two-
dimensional nature of an
artwork or any of its
elements. Decorative art
emphasizes the essential
flatness of a surface.
12. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
descriptive (art)
A type of art that is
based upon
adherence to actual
appearances.
13. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
design
The underlying plan on
which artists base their
total work. In a broader
sense, design may be
considered synonymous
with the term form.
14. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
elements of art
Line, shape, value, texture,
and color — the basic
ingredients the artist uses
separately or in
combination to produce
artistic imagery.
Their use produces the
visual language of art.
15. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
expression
I. The manifestation
through artistic form of
thought, emotion, or quality
of meaning.
2. In art, expression is
synonymous with the term
content.
16. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
form
I. The organization or
inventive arrangement of
all the visual elements
according to the principles
that will develop unity in
the artwork.
2. The total appearance or
organization.
17. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
graphic art
1. Two-dimensional art
forms, such as drawing,
painting, making prints, etc.
2. The two-dimensional
use of the elements of art.
3. May also refer to the
techniques of printing as
used in newspapers, books,
magazines, etc.
18. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
mass
1. In graphic art, a shape
that appears to stand out
three-dimensionally from
the space surrounding it, or
appears to create the
illusion of a solid body of
material.
2. In the plastic arts, the
physical bulk of a solid
body of material.
19. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
medium, media (pi.)
The material(s) and tool(s)
used by the artist to create
the visual elements
perceived by the viewer.
20. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
naturalism
The approach to art that is
essentially a description of
things visually
experienced.
Pure naturalism would
contain no personal
interpretation introduced
by the artist.
21. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
negative area(s)
The unoccupied or empty
space left after the positive
elements have been
created by the artist.
However, when these
areas have boundaries,
they also function as
design shapes in the total
structure.
22. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
nonobjective,
nonrepresentational (art)
A type of art that is entirely
imaginative and not derived from
anything visually perceived by the
artist.
The elements, their organization,
and their treatment by the artist
are entirely personalized and,
consequently, not associated by
the observer with any previously
experienced natural objects.
23. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
objective (art, shape)
A type of art that is based,
as near as possible, on
physical actuality or optical
perception.
Such art tends to appear
natural or real.
24. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
optical perception
A way of seeing in which
the mind has no other
function than the natural
one of providing the visual
sensation of object
recognition.
25. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
organic unity
A condition in which the
components of art—that is,
subject, form, and
content—are so vital and
interdependent that they
may be likened to a living
organism.
A work having "organic
unity“ is not guaranteed to
have "greatness" or
unusual merit.
27. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
picture plane
The actual flat surface on
which the artist executes a
pictorial image. In some
cases, the picture plane
acts merely as a
transparent plane of
reference to establish the
illusion of forms existing in
a three- dimensional
space.
28. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
plane
I. An area that is
essentially two-
dimensional, having height
and width.
2. A flat or level surface.
3. A two-dimensional
surface having a positive
extension and spatial
direction or position.
29. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
plastic (art)
I. The use of the elements
of art to create the illusion
of the third dimension on a
two-dimensional surface.
2. Three- dimensional art
forms, such as
architecture, sculpture,
ceramics, etc.
30. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
positive area(s)
The state in the artwork in
which the art elements
(shape, line, etc.), or their
combination, produce the
subject —
nonrepresentational or
recognizable images.
31. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
realism, Realism (art
movement)
A style of art that retains
the basic impression of
visual actuality without
going to extremes of detail.
In addition, realism
attempts to relate and
interpret the universal
meanings that lie beneath
surface appearances.
32. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
Representation (al) (art)
A type of art in which the
subject is presented
through the visual art
elements so that the
observer is reminded of
actual objects.
34. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
style
The specific artistic
character and dominant
trends of form noted during
periods of history and art
movements.
Style may also refer to
artists„ expressive use of
media to give their works
individual character.
35. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
subject
I. In a descriptive approach to
art, subject refers to the persons or
things represented, as well as the artists„
experiences, that serve as inspiration.
2. In abstract or nonobjective forms of
art, subject refers merely to the visual
signs used by the artist. In this case, the
subject has little to do with anything
experienced in the natural environment.
36. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
subjective (art, shape,
color, etc.)
That which is derived from
the mind reflecting a
personal viewpoint, bias,
or emotion.
37. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
technique
The manner and skill with
which artists use their tools
and materials to achieve
an expressive effect.
The ways of using media
can have a strong effect on
the aesthetic quality of an
artist's total concept.
38. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
three-dimensional
Possessing the illusion of
possessing the dimension
of depth, in addition to
having the dimensions of
height and width.
39. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
two-dimensional
Possessing the dimensions
of height and width,
especially when
considering the flat
surface, or picture plane.
40. THE VOCABULARY OF
INTRODUCTORY TERMS
unity
The result of bringing the
elements of art into the
appropriate ratio between
harmony and variety to
achieve a sense of
oneness.
43. The Need and Search for Art
ART Many interpretations
FUNDAMENTALS The basic fabric of art
44.
45. The Need and Search for Art
Definitions of ART:
The formal expression of a conceived image in
terms of a given medium. (Cheney)
The making of a form produced by cooperation
of all the faculties of the mind (Longman)
Significant form (Bell)
46. The Need and Search for Art
Definitions of ART:
A unified manifold which is pleasure-giving
(Mather)
A diagram or paradigm with a meaning that
gives pleasure (Lostowel)
Objectified pleasure (Santayana)
47. The Need and Search for Art
PLEASURE
PLEASURE a component of art.
It is a different thing to different people.
Art can be a relaxant or stimulant.
For the artist, it can also produce
frustration and a sense of achievement.
48. The Need and Search for Art
AESTEHTICS
AESTEHTICS the appreciation of the
“beautiful”.
Definitions of BEAUTY
Historical cultures have
had their own concepts
of beauty, many of which
would not correspond to
contemporary tastes.
49. The Need and Search for Art
The PUBLIC
What does the public often like and expect
in art?
THREE THINGS:
The familiar subject
The recognizable subject
The sentimental or “pleasant” subject.
50. The Need and Search for Art
The PUBLIC
Poorly executed
Expertly executed
Not all people, even with similar
backgrounds, would agree on
the “beauty” of a given subject,
much less its interpretation.
51. The Need and Search for Art
The ARTISTS
More concerned with the “how” (the technique
used to create the work), than the “what” (the final
product)
Art has always been produced because an
artist has wanted to say something and has
chosen a particular way of saying it.
52. The Need and Search for Art
Many people want to be actively engaged
in art but find that much of what they see is
not meaningful to them.
Before the 20th century, people often had a
better understanding and greater
acceptance of what they saw because they
saw so little.
53. The Need and Search for Art
In order to gain some appreciation for the
many forms of art to which we have access
today, we must understand the basics from
which they have grown.
Understanding by examining the nature of
the may actors involved in producing
artworks, including the principles that
govern those factors.
63. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Subject
Traditionally Person, object, theme
Today abstract age
particular configuration of the art elements,
a record of the energy and movement of the
artist
64. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Form
The work’s appearance or organization
65. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Traditionally
The work‟s total message as developed by
artist and interpreted by the viewer.
Derived from the artist‟s experience.
Sometimes difficult for an observer to
understand the message unless he or she
has had the same kind of experiences as
the artist.
66. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Principles of organization:
Harmony, variety, balance, movement, pro
portion, dominance, and economy.
Elements of organization:
Line, Shape, Value, Texture, and Color.
67. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
In Art, we have
the motivation (subject),
the substantiation (form), and
communication (content.)
68. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Subject
A person, a thing, or an idea.
In abstract or semiabstract works, the
subject may be somewhat perceivable.
In nonobjective works, the subject is the
idea behind the form of the work, and it
communicates with those who can read the
language of form.
69.
70. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Subject
The subject is important only to the degree
that the artist is motivated by it.
The subject is just a starting point.
The way it is presented or formed to give it
expression is the important consideration.
71. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Subject
Art parallels music in presenting a
“nonrecognizable” subject.
The subject is an idea rather than a thing.
All of the arts have subjects that obviously
should not be judged alone, but by what is
done with them.
72.
73. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Form
Art objects
Sculpture total organization or
composition
A result of the use of the
ELEMENTS of line, texture, color,
shape, and value and their
relationship to the PRINCIPLES of
harmony and variety.
74. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Form
Formal organization involves all the visual
devices available to the artist in the
material of his or her choice.
Arrange Intuitively vs Logically
Formal order
75. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
The emotional or intellectual message of
an artwork.
A statement, expression, or mood read into
the work by its observer, ideally
synchronized with the artist‟s intention.
76.
77. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
The symbols of death: blacks and somber
grays, reduced awareness of texture, and
emphasis of low diagonals.
78. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
For many people, content is confined to
familiar associations, usually by feeling
aroused by known objects or ideas.
More meaningfully, content is not utterly
reliant on the image but reinforced by the
form created by the artist.
This content is found in an abstract as well
as more realistic works.
79. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Abstraction: All visual artworks require
some degree of abstraction.
A greater degree of abstraction is often
more difficult to understand and appreciate.
80. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Abstraction: A process that imposes itself
on the artist in reaching the desired effect
in a work.
Involves reordering and emphasis,
stripping-down to expressive and
communicative essentials.
81.
82. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Simplification vs Making the deeper
meaning more accessible.
Abstract is more often a VERB than a
NOUN. (a process not a product)
83. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
The artist manipulates the artistic elements
line, shape, etc. (the “what”) to create the
kind of form (the “how”) that will result in
the desired content (the “why”)
86. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Organic Unity: containing nothing that is
unnecessary or distracting, with relationships that
seem inevitable.
Wholeness is difficult to detect in the works of
some contemporary artists who challenge
tradition.
The distinction between subject, form, and
content are blurred.
87. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Conceptual Art: the concept is
foremost, the product is considered
negligible, and the concept and subject
seem to be one.
Process Art: the act of producing is the
only significant aspect of the artwork
88. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Perceptual Artist: Records only what is
perceived.
Conceptual Artist (idea-oriented):
concerned with responses that with
commonplace perceptions.
89.
90. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
Creativity emanates from ideas.
An idea is born in the mind.
A Concept:
an all-encompassing plan,
a unique or particularly suitable set of
relationships,
an attitude that could be conveyed
a way of conveying an attitude
a solution to a visual problem
91. The Three Basic Components of a Work of Art:
Content
In the artist‟s mind, the idea occurs as
mental imagery, an inspiration, or the end
product of much thoughtful searching
(notes, sketches, …)
Creative enterprises are occasionally
plagued by mental blocks.
In Art, an idea is of value only when
converted into visual reality.
92. Savoring the Ingredients
All art is illusory to some extent.
Some artworks are more successful than
others at drawing us out of our standard
existence into a more meaningful state.
93. Savoring the Ingredients
In seeing and hearing the arts, we are not
in the everyday world, but rather a hyper-
sensitized world of “greater” values.
ART ENLARGES OUR AWARENESS.
94. Savoring the Ingredients
Being Subjective: the artist reaches below
surface appearances and uses unfamiliar
ways to find unexpected truths.
The results can often be distressing for
many observers.
We all have the capacity to appreciate the
beautiful or expressive.
We must enlarge our sensitivity and taste,
making them more inclusive.
95. Savoring the Ingredients
One way to extend our responses to art is
by attempting to see the uniqueness in
things.
Every rose has a different character, even
with identical breeding and grooming.
Every object is ultimately unique.
The artist should have the ability to see the
subtle difference in things.
96.
97. Savoring the Ingredients
Perception is the key.
Optical Perception: When an artist views
an object and is inspired to try to reproduce
the original as seen.
Conceptual Perception: When another
artist seeing the same object, the
imagination triggers the creative vision and
additional images are suggested.
98. Savoring the Ingredients
Many people judge a work of art by how
closely it can be made to look like
something.
The Camera!
Photographers become artists when
they are not satisfied with obvious
appearances.
99.
100. Savoring the Ingredients
People tend to associate visual art with
literature, hoping that it will tell a story
in a descriptive manner.
101. Savoring the Ingredients
In adapting ourselves to the rules
peculiar to art, we must also place our
own taste on trial.
Accepting the possibility that what is
unfamiliar or disliked may not
necessarily be badly executed or devoid
of meaning.
102. Savoring the Ingredients
Artists expand our frames of references,
revealing new ways of seeing and
responding to our surroundings.
When we view artworks knowledgeably,
we can be on the same wavelength with
the artist’s finely tuned emotions.
105. The Ingredients Assembled
The VISION
Giving shape by the way the elements are
brought together.
Two-Dimensional Effect (circle, triangle,
or square)
Elements lie flat on the picture plane.
Three-Dimensional Effect (sphere,
pyramid, or cube)
Elements penetrate the plane.
106. The Ingredients Assembled
Decorative Ornamentation
Line is decorative if it does not leap
toward or away from the viewer.
107. The Ingredients Assembled
Plastic When the elements make us
feel that we could dive into the picture
and weave our way around and behind
the art elements.
108. The Ingredients Assembled
Sculpture We must move about the
piece.
Mass and Volume indicate the presence
of three-dimensional art.
An empty living room has volume in its
dimensions, but no mass.
A brick has mass within its volume.
109. The Ingredients Assembled
Plastic vs Graphic Art
Graphic Arts drawings, paintings,
printmaking, photography, and so on.
Generally exists on a flat surface and
rely on the illusion of the third
dimension.
Two-dimensional decorative - effects
defined by art elements.
110. The Ingredients Assembled
Plastic Arts sculpture, ceramics,
architecture, and so on. Tangible an
palpable (physical), occupying and
encompassed by their own space.
Three-dimensional reality created by art
elements.
111. The Ingredients Assembled
An Idea
An artist must begin with an idea, or a
germ, that will eventually develop into
the concept of the finished artwork.
A thought that has suddenly struck the
artist, or a notion that has been growing
in his or her mind for a long time.
112. The Ingredients Assembled
The IDEA must be developed in a
medium selected by the artist (clay, oil,
pint, water color, etc.)
The artist Controls and is Controlled by
the medium.
113. The Ingredients Assembled
The COMPOSITION the formal
structure --- the most interesting and
communicative presentation of an idea.
During this process ABSTRACTION will
inevitably occur; elements will be
simplified, changed, added, eliminated,
or generally edited.
114. The Ingredients Assembled
The Creative Process should lead to
Organic Unity:
The culmination of everything that is being
sought in the work, that every part not only
fits, but that each one contributes to the
overall content, or meaning.
115. Two-Dimensional Media and Techniques
Media are the materials used in making
an artwork, and techniques control their
application.
The artist’s interaction with the media.
Successful Process.
116.
117. Two-Dimensional Media and Techniques
Painters smell and feel of fresh plaster – oil and
watercolors
Draftsmen heavy pressure or light touch – textural
quality of paper
Printmaking watching the physical surface change
Photography innovations – experiments
New Media Digital generated imagery, acrylics,
preliquified watercolors, drawing pens, welding,
plastics, aluminum, video, virtual reality,
performances (dance, drama, sound, light, audience),
..
121. The Two-Dimensional Picture Plane
A flat surface the picture plane
The need to somehow establish a
relationship between the actual
environment and the reduced size.
Spatial illusions
122. The Two-Dimensional Picture Plane
The artist may manipulate forms or
elements so that they seem flat on the
picture plane, or extend them so that
they appear to exist in front of or behind
the picture plane.
123.
124. The Two-Dimensional Picture Plane
In three-dimensional art, the artist
begins with the material – metal, clay,
stone, glass, and so on – and works it
as a total form against the surrounding
space, with no limitations except for the
outermost contours.
125. The Picture Frame
Defined
boundaries around
the working area,
or picture plane.
126. The Picture Frame
Once its shape and proportions are
defined, all of the art elements and their
employment will be influenced by it.
Within the picture frame on the picture
plane.
127.
128.
129.
130. The Picture Frame
Many artists select the outside
proportions of their pictures on the
basis of geometric ratios.
Most artists rely on their instincts rater
on a mechanical formula.
The direction and movement of the
elements of art should be in harmonious
relation to this shape.
131. Positive and Negative Areas
UNITY All of the surface areas in a
picture.
Positive areas areas that represent
the artist’s initial selection of elements
Negative areas Unoccupied areas
132.
133.
134. Positive and Negative Areas
Traditionally
Positive figure and/or foreground
Negative background
Recently
Field positive
Ground negative
135. Positive and Negative Areas
Inexperienced artists usually direct their
attention to positive forms and neglect
the surrounding areas.
136. The Art Elements
The art elements:
Line
Shape
Value
Texture
Color
