The Art Element of Pertains to the Actual or Simulated Tactile Qualities of a Surface

Line

A line is divers as a marker that connects the infinite between two points, taking any form along the way.

Learning Objectives

Compare and contrast unlike uses of line in fine art

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Actual lines are lines that are physically present, existing as solid connections between one or more than points.
• Implied line refers to the path that the viewer 's eye takes as it follows shapes, colors, and forms along any given path.
• Straight or classic lines provide stability and construction to a composition and tin can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal on a work's surface.
• Expressive lines refer to curved marks that increase the sense of dynamism of a work of fine art.
• The outline or profile lines create a border or path around the edge of a shape, thereby outlining and defining information technology. "Cross contour lines" delineate differences in the features of a surface.
• Hatch lines are a series of short lines repeated in intervals, typically in a single direction, and are used to add together shading and texture to surfaces, while cross-hatch lines provide additional texture and tone to the paradigm surface and tin can be oriented in any management.

Primal Terms

• texture:The feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. of something.
• cross-hatching:A method of showing shading past means of multiple pocket-size lines that intersect.
• line:A path through ii or more than points.

The line is an essential element of fine art, defined equally a mark that connects the space between two points, taking any form forth the way. Lines are used almost often to define shape in two-dimensional works and could exist chosen the most aboriginal, as well equally the most universal, forms of marking making.

There are many unlike types of lines, all characterized by their lengths being greater than their width, also equally by the paths that they take. Depending on how they are used, lines help to determine the motion, management, and energy of a work of art. The quality of a line refers to the character that is presented past a line in order to breathing a surface to varying degrees.

Bodily lines are lines that are physically nowadays, existing as solid connections between one or more points, while implied lines refer to the path that the viewer's eye takes as it follows shape, color, and form within an art work. Implied lines give works of art a sense of motion and keep the viewer engaged in a composition. Nosotros can see numerous implied lines in Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii, connecting the figures and actions of the slice past leading the eye of the viewer through the unfolding drama.

Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784: Many implied lines connect the figures and action of the piece by leading the eye of the viewer through the unfolding drama.

Straight or archetype lines add stability and structure to a limerick and can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal on the surface of the work. Expressive lines refer to curved marks that increment the sense of dynamism of a work of fine art. These types of lines often follow an undetermined path of sinuous curves. The outline or contour lines create a border or path around the edge of a shape, thereby outlining and defining it. Cantankerous contour lines delineate differences in the features of a surface and tin can give the illusion of three dimensions or a sense of form or shading.

Hatch lines are a serial of short lines repeated in intervals, typically in a single direction, and are used to add together shading and texture to surfaces. Cross-hatch lines provide boosted texture and tone to the prototype surface and can be oriented in any direction. Layers of cantankerous-hatching can add together rich texture and volume to image surfaces.

Low-cal and Value

Value refers to the use of light and night in art.

Learning Objectives

Explain the artistic employ of low-cal and dark (likewise known as "value")

Key Takeaways

Central Points

• In painting, value changes are achieved past adding black or white to a color.
• Value in art is also sometimes referred to as " tint " for light hues and "shade" for dark hues.
• Values near the lighter cease of the spectrum are termed "loftier-keyed" while those on the darker end are called "low-keyed."
• In two-dimensional art works, the use of value can assistance to give a shape the illusion of mass or volume .
• Chiaroscuro was a mutual technique in Baroque painting and refers to clear tonal contrasts exemplified by very loftier-keyed whites, placed straight against very low-keyed darks.

Key Terms

• chiaroscuro:An artistic technique popularized during the Renaissance, referring to the apply of exaggerated lite contrasts in guild to create the illusion of volume.

The utilize of light and dark in art is called value. Value tin can be subdivided into tint (low-cal hues) and shade (dark hues). In painting, which uses subtractive colour, value changes are achieved by calculation black or white to a color. Artists may besides utilise shading, which refers to a more than subtle manipulation of value. The value scale is used to show the standard variations in tones . Values nearly the lighter cease of the spectrum are termed high-keyed, while those on the darker end are low-keyed.

Value scale: The value scale represents unlike degrees of light used in artwork.

In 2-dimensional artworks, the use of value can help to give a shape the illusion of mass or volume. It volition as well give the unabridged composition a sense of lighting. High contrast refers to the placing of lighter areas directly against much darker ones, so their difference is showcased, creating a dramatic event. Loftier contrast too refers to the presence of more blacks than white or grey. Low-dissimilarity images issue from placing mid-range values together so there is not much visible difference between them, creating a more subtle mood.

In Bizarre painting, the technique of chiaroscuro was used to produce highly dramatic effects in art. Chiaroscuro, which means literally "low-cal-night" in Italian, refers to articulate tonal contrasts exemplified past very high-keyed whites, placed directly against very low-keyed darks. Candlelit scenes were common in Baroque painting every bit they effectively produced this dramatic blazon of effect. Caravaggio used a loftier dissimilarity palette in such works as The Denial of St. Peter to create his expressive chiaroscuro scene.

Caravaggio, The Denial of St. Peter, 1610: Caravaggio's The Deprival of St. Peter is an excellent example of how calorie-free can exist manipulated in artwork.

Color

In the visual arts, color theory is a torso of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual impacts of specific color combinations.

Learning Objectives

Express the about important elements of color theory and artists' use of color

Key Takeaways

Cardinal Points

• Colour theory kickoff appeared in the 17th century, when Isaac Newton discovered that white light could be passed through a prism and divided into the total spectrum of colors.
• The spectrum of colors contained in white light are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo , and violet.
• Color theory divides colour into the " primary colors " of red, yellowish, and blue, which cannot be mixed from other pigments, and the "secondary colors" of green, orange, and violet, which result from different combinations of the chief colors.
• Principal and secondary colors are combined in various mixtures to create third colors.
• Complementary colors are found contrary each other on the color wheel and correspond the strongest contrast for those particular two colors.

Central Terms

• complementary colour:A color which is regarded as the opposite of another on the colour bicycle (i.e., reddish and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue).
• value:The relative darkness or lightness of a colour in a specific area of a painting or other visual art.
• main color:Any of three colors which, when added to or subtracted from others in unlike amounts, tin can generate all other colors.
• tint:A colour considered with reference to other very similar colors. Red and bluish are different colors, simply two shades of ruby are different tints.
• gradation:A passing by modest degrees from one tone or shade, as of color, to another.
• hue:A color, or shade of color.

Colour is a fundamental artistic element which refers to the use of hue in art and design. It is the virtually complex of the elements because of the wide assortment of combinations inherent to it. Color theory first appeared in the 17th century when Isaac Newton discovered that white light could be passed through a prism and divided into the full spectrum of colors. The spectrum of colors contained in white light are, in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Colour theory subdivides color into the "primary colors" of red, xanthous, and blueish, which cannot be mixed from other pigments; and the "secondary colors" of green, orange and violet, which event from different combinations of the primary colors. Principal and secondary colors are combined in diverse mixtures to create "tertiary colors." Colour theory is centered around the color cycle, a diagram that shows the relationship of the various colors to each other .

Colour bike: The color wheel is a diagram that shows the relationship of the various colors to each other.

Color " value " refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. In addition, "tint" and "shade" are important aspects of color theory and effect from lighter and darker variations in value, respectively. "Tone" refers to the gradation or subtle changes of a colour on a lighter or darker scale. "Saturation" refers to the intensity of a color.

Additive and Subtractive Color

Additive color is colour created past mixing ruby, greenish, and bluish lights. Tv screens, for instance, use additive color as they are made up of the chief colors of red, blue and green (RGB). Subtractive color,  or "process color," works equally the opposite of additive color and the principal colors get cyan, magenta, yellow, and blackness (CMYK). Common applications of subtractive color tin be found in printing and photography.

Complementary Color

Complementary colors can exist constitute directly opposite each other on the color wheel (imperial and yellow, green and red, orange and bluish). When placed next to each other, these pairs create the strongest contrast for those particular 2 colors.

Warm and Cool Color

The distinction betwixt warm and cool colors has been of import since at to the lowest degree the belatedly 18th century. The contrast, as traced past etymologies in the Oxford English Dictionary, seems related to the observed dissimilarity in landscape light, betwixt the "warm" colors associated with daylight or sunset and the "absurd" colors associated with a greyness or overcast day. Warm colors are the hues from cerise through yellowish, browns and tans included. Cool colors, on the other hand, are the hues from blue greenish through bluish violet, with near grays included. Color theory has described perceptual and psychological effects to this contrast. Warm colors are said to accelerate or appear more active in a painting, while cool colors tend to recede. Used in interior design or fashion, warm colors are said to arouse or stimulate the viewer , while cool colors calm and relax.

Texture

Texture refers to the tactile quality of the surface of an fine art object.

Learning Objectives

Recognize the use of texture in fine art

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Visual texture refers to an implied sense of texture that the artist creates through the apply of various artistic elements such as line , shading, and colour.
• Bodily texture refers to the concrete rendering or the real surface qualities we can notice by touching an object.
• Visible brushstrokes and dissimilar amounts of paint volition create a physical texture that can add to the expressiveness of a painting and draw attention to specific areas inside it.
• It is possible for an artwork to comprise numerous visual textures merely still remain smooth to the bear upon.

Fundamental Terms

• tactile:Tangible; perceptible to the sense of touch.

Texture

Texture in fine art stimulates the senses of sight and impact and refers to the tactile quality of the surface of the art. It is based on the perceived texture of the canvas or surface, which includes the awarding of the paint. In the context of artwork, there are two types of texture: visual and actual. Visual texture refers to an implied sense of texture that the artist creates through the employ of various creative elements such as line, shading and colour. Bodily texture refers to the concrete rendering or the real surface qualities we can detect by touching an object, such as paint application or three-dimensional art.

It is possible for an artwork to incorporate numerous visual textures, however still remain smooth to the affect. Take for example Realist or Illusionist works, which rely on the heavy use of pigment and varnish, yet maintain an utterly smooth surface. In January Van Eyck's painting "The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin" nosotros can detect a groovy bargain of texture in the clothing and robes especially, while the surface of the work remains very smooth .

Jan van Eyck, The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin, 1435: The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin has a dandy deal of texture in the clothing and robes, but the actual surface of the piece of work is very smooth.

Paintings often use actual texture as well, which we can observe in the physical application of paint. Visible brushstrokes and different amounts of paint will create a texture that adds to the expressiveness of a painting and draw attention to specific areas within it. The artist Vincent van Gogh is known to have used a great deal of actual texture in his paintings, noticeable in the thick application of paint in such paintings equally Starry Night.

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889: The Starry Nighttime contains a bang-up deal of actual texture through the thick awarding of pigment.

Shape and Volume

Shape refers to an area in a 2-dimensional infinite that is defined by edges; volume is three-dimensional, exhibiting superlative, width, and depth.

Learning Objectives

Define shape and volume and place means they are represented in art

Key Takeaways

Cardinal Points

• "Positive infinite " refers to the space of the defined shape or effigy.
• "Negative space" refers to the space that exists around and between one or more shapes.
• A " plane " in fine art refers to any surface surface area within space.
• " Form " is a concept that is related to shape and tin exist created by combining ii or more shapes, resulting in a three-dimensional shape.
• Art makes use of both actual and implied volume .
• Shape, volume, and space, whether actual or implied, are the footing of the perception of reality.

Cardinal Terms

• grade:The shape or visible structure of an artistic expression.
• book:A unit of measurement of three-dimensional mensurate of space that comprises a length, a width, and a height.
• airplane:A flat surface extending infinitely in all directions (east.thou., horizontal or vertical airplane).

Shape refers to an area in two-dimensional space that is defined past edges. Shapes are, by definition, always flat in nature and tin can exist geometric (e.g., a circle, foursquare, or pyramid) or organic (e.g., a leafage or a chair). Shapes can exist created by placing 2 unlike textures , or shape-groups, side by side to each other, thereby creating an enclosed expanse, such equally a painting of an object floating in water.

"Positive space" refers to the space of the divers shape, or figure. Typically, the positive space is the discipline of an artwork. "Negative infinite" refers to the space that exists around and between 1 or more shapes. Positive and negative space tin can become difficult to distinguish from each other in more than abstract works.

A "plane" refers to any expanse within infinite. In two-dimensional fine art, the " picture plane " is the flat surface that the paradigm is created upon, such equally paper, canvas, or wood. Iii-dimensional figures may be depicted on the apartment film plane through the use of the artistic elements to imply depth and book, every bit seen in the painting Small Boutonniere of Flowers in a Ceramic Vase past January Brueghel the Elder.

Jan Brueghel the Elder, Small Bouquet of Flowers in a Ceramic Vase, 1599: 3-dimensional figures may exist depicted on the flat picture plane through the utilize of the artistic elements to imply depth and volume.

"Form" is a concept that is related to shape. Combining two or more than shapes tin create a three-dimensional shape. Form is always considered three-dimensional every bit it exhibits book—or height, width, and depth. Art makes use of both bodily and implied volume.

While 3-dimensional forms, such as sculpture, have book inherently, volume can besides be simulated, or implied, in a two-dimensional work such as a painting. Shape, volume, and space—whether bodily or implied—are the basis of the perception of reality.

Time and Movement

Motion, a principle of art, is a tool artists utilize to organize the artistic elements in a work; it is employed in both static and time-based mediums.

Learning Objectives

Proper noun some techniques and mediums used by artists to convey motion in both static and time-based art forms

Central Takeaways

Key Points

• Techniques such as scale and proportion are used to create the feeling of movement or the passing of time in static a visual piece.
• The placement of a repeated element in different expanse within an artwork is another mode to imply motion and the passing of time.
• Visual experiments in time and motion were offset produced in the mid-19th century, and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge is well-known for his sequential shots.
• The time-based mediums of film, video, kinetic sculpture , and operation art employ time and motion past their very definitions.

Key Terms

• frames per second:The number of times an imaging device produces unique sequent images (frames) in one second. Abbreviation: FPS.
• static:Fixed in place; having no motion.

Motion, or motion, is considered to be one of the "principles of art"; that is, one of the tools artists use to organize the artistic elements in a piece of work of art. Movement is employed in both static and in fourth dimension-based mediums and can show a direct action or the intended path for the viewer 's heart to follow through a slice.

Techniques such equally scale and proportion are used to create the feeling of move or the passing of time in static visual artwork. For case, on a flat motion-picture show plane , an image that is smaller and lighter colored than its surround will announced to be in the groundwork. Some other technique for implying motility and/or fourth dimension is the placement of a repeated element in unlike areas within an artwork.

Visual experiments in time and motion were first produced in the mid-19th century. The photographer Eadweard Muybridge is well known for his sequential shots of humans and animals walking, running, and jumping, which he displayed together to illustrate the movement of his subjects. Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 exemplifies an absolute feeling of motion from the upper left to lower correct corner of the piece.

Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912: This work represents Duchamp'southward conception of motion and time.

While static art forms have the ability to imply or suggest time and motility, the time-based mediums of picture show, video, kinetic sculpture, and performance art demonstrate time and motion by their very definitions. Motion-picture show is many static images that are quickly passed through a lens. Video is essentially the same process, only digitally-based and with fewer frames per 2d . Performance art takes place in real fourth dimension and makes use of existent people and objects, much like theater. Kinetic art is art that moves, or depends on movement, for its event. All of these mediums use time and motility equally a key aspect of their forms of expression.

Chance, Improvisation, and Spontaneity

Dadaism, Surrealism, and the Fluxus motility all relied on the elements of chance, improvisation, and spontaneity as tools for making art works.

Learning Objectives

Depict how Dadaism, Surrealism, and the Fluxus motion relied on chance, improvisation, and spontaneity

Cardinal Takeaways

Cardinal Points

• Dadaists are known for their "automatic writing" or stream of consciousness writing, which highlights the creativity of the unconscious mind.
• Surrealist works, much like Dadaist works, oft feature an element of surprise, unexpected juxtaposition , and tapping into the unconscious mind.
• Surrealists are known for having invented " exquisite corpse" drawing.
• The Fluxus movement was known for its " happenings ," which were performance events or situations that could take place anywhere, in any course , and relied heavily on gamble, improvisation, and audience participation.

Key Terms

• happening:A spontaneous or improvised issue, especially i that involves audience participation.
• aggregation:A collection of things which have been gathered together..

Chance, improvisation, and spontaneity are elements that tin exist used to create art, or they can be the very purpose of the artwork itself. Whatsoever medium tin can apply these elements at any betoken within the artistic process.

Marcel Duchamp, Urinal, 1917: Marcel Duchamp's Urinal is an instance of a "ready-fabricated," which were objects that were purchased or found and so declared art.

Dadaism

Dadaism was an fine art movement popular in Europe in the early on 20th century. Information technology was started by artists and poets in Zurich, Switzerland with strong anti-state of war and left-leaning sentiments. The movement rejected logic and reason and instead prized irrationality, nonsense, and intuition. Marcel Duchamp was a dominant member of the Dadaist movement, known for exhibiting "ready-mades," which were objects that were purchased or found and and then declared art.

Dadaists used what was readily available to create what was termed an "assemblage," using items such every bit photographs, trash, stickers, bus passes, and notes. The work of the Dadaists involved take a chance, improvisation, and spontaneity to create fine art. They are known for using "automatic writing" or stream of consciousness writing, which often took nonsensical forms, simply allowed for the opportunity of potentially surprising juxtapositions and unconscious creativity.

Surrealism

The Surrealist motion, which developed out of Dadaism primarily as a political movement, featured an element of surprise, unexpected juxtaposition and the tapping of the unconscious mind. Andre Breton, an important member of the movement, wrote the Surrealist manifesto, defining it as follows:

"Surrealism, n. Pure psychic automatism , by which one proposes to express, either verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of idea. Dictation of idea in the absenteeism of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation. "

Like Dadaism before it, the Surrealist movement stressed the unimportance of reason and planning and instead relied heavily upon chance and surprise as a tool to harness the inventiveness of the unconscious mind. Surrealists are known for having invented "exquisite corpse" drawing, an exercise where words and images are collaboratively assembled, one after another. Many Surrealist techniques, including exquisite corpse drawing, allowed for the playful cosmos of art through assigning value to spontaneous production.

The Fluxus movement

The Fluxus movement of the 1960s was highly influenced by Dadaism. Fluxus was an international network of artists that skillfully composite together many different disciplines, and whose work was characterized by the employ of an extreme practise-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic and heavily intermedia artworks. In addition, Fluxus was known for its "happenings," which were multi-disciplinary operation events or situations that could take identify anywhere. Audition participation was essential in a happening, and therefore relied on a peachy deal of surprise and improvisation. Primal elements of happenings were often planned, merely artists left room for improvisation, which eliminated the boundary between the artwork and the viewer , thus making the audience an important part of the art.

Inclusion of All Five Senses

The inclusion of the five human senses in a unmarried piece of work takes identify most oft in installation and performance art.

Learning Objectives

Explain how installation and performance fine art include the v senses of the viewer

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• In contemporary art, it is quite common for piece of work to cater to the senses of sight, affect, and hearing, while it is somewhat less mutual to address aroma and taste.
• "Gesamtkunstwerk," or "total work of art," is a German word that refers to an artwork that attempts to address all five human senses.
• Installation art is a genre of three-dimensional artwork that is designed to transform the viewer 's perception of a space .
• Virtual reality is a term that refers to computer-faux environments.

Central Terms

• happening:A spontaneous or improvised event, especially i that involves audition participation.
• virtual reality:A reality based in the reckoner.

The inclusion of the five human senses in a single piece of work takes place about often in installation and functioning-based art. In addition, works that strive to include all senses at one time mostly make use of some grade of interactivity, as the gustation clearly must involve the participation of the viewer. Historically, this attention to all senses was reserved to ritual and ceremony . In contemporary art, it is quite common for work to cater to the senses of sight, bear on, and hearing, while somewhat less common for art to address the senses of odour and taste.

The German give-and-take "Gesamtkunstwerk," meaning "total piece of work of art," refers to a genre of artwork that attempts to accost all v human being senses. The concept was brought to prominence by the German opera composer Richard Wagner in 1849. Wagner staged an opera that sought to unite the art forms, which he felt had become overly disparate. Wagner's operas paid great attending to every detail in order to reach a state of total artistic immersion. "Gesamkunstwerk" is at present an accepted English language term relating to aesthetics , simply has evolved from Wagner's definition to mean the inclusion of the v senses in art.

Installation art is a genre of iii-dimensional artwork that is designed to transform the viewer'south perception of a infinite. Beach by Rachel Whiteread exemplifies this type of transformation. The term generally pertains to an interior infinite, while Land Art typically refers to an outdoor space, though there is some overlap betwixt these terms. The Fluxus motion of the 1960s is primal to the development of installation and performance art every bit mediums.

Rachel Whiteread, Embankment, 2005: Whiteread'south installation Beach is a type of art designed to transform the viewer'southward perception of space.

"Virtual reality" is a term that refers to figurer-faux environments. Currently, nigh virtual reality environments are visual experiences, but some simulations include boosted sensory information. Immersive virtual reality has adult in recent years with the improvement of applied science and is increasingly addressing the five senses within a virtual realm. Artists have been exploring the possibilities of these simulated and virtual realities with the expansion of the discipline of cyberarts, though what constitutes cyberart continues to exist up for debate. Environments such as the virtual earth of Second Life are generally accustomed, just whether or not video games should be considered art remains undecided.

Compositional Residue

Compositional rest refers to the placement of the creative elements in relation to each other within a work of art.

Learning Objectives

Categorize the elements of compositional balance in a work of art

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• A harmonious compositional balance involves arranging elements so that no ane part of a work overpowers or seems heavier than any other part.
• The 3 most common types of compositional balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial .
• When balanced, a limerick appears stable and visually right. Just as symmetry relates to aesthetic preference and reflects an intuitive sense for how things "should" appear, the overall balance of a given composition contributes to outside judgments of the work.

Cardinal Terms

• radial:Bundled like rays that radiate from, or converge to, a common center.
• symmetry:Verbal correspondence on either side of a dividing line, airplane, center, or axis. The satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole.
• disproportion:Want of symmetry, or proportion between the parts of a thing, especially want of bilateral symmetry. Lacking a common measure betwixt two objects or quantities; Incommensurability. That which causes something to not be symmetrical.

Compositional balance refers to the placement of the elements of art (colour, form , line , shape, space , texture , and value) in relation to each other. When counterbalanced, a composition appears more stable and visually pleasing. Simply as symmetry relates to aesthetic preference and reflects an intuitive sense for how things "should" announced, the overall balance of a given limerick contributes to outside judgments of the work.

Creating a harmonious compositional balance involves arranging elements so that no unmarried function of a work overpowers or seems heavier than any other part. The three about common types of compositional balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial.

Compositional balance: The three mutual types of residual are symmetric, asymmetric, and radial.

Symmetrical remainder is the nigh stable, in a visual sense, and more often than not conveys a sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality. When both sides of an artwork on either side of the horizontal or vertical axis of the pic plane are the aforementioned in terms of the sense that is created by the system of the elements of art, the work is said to exhibit this type of balance. The opposite of symmetry is asymmetry .

Leonardo da Vinci, Vitruvian Human, 1487: Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is often used as a representation of symmetry in the human body and, by extension, the natural universe.

Asymmetry is defined equally the absence of, or a violation of, the principles of symmetry. Examples of asymmetry appear commonly in architecture. Although pre-modern architectural styles tended to place an emphasis on symmetry (except where extreme site conditions or historical developments lead away from this classical platonic), modern and postmodern architects ofttimes used disproportion as a design element. For case, while most bridges use a symmetrical form due to intrinsic simplicities of design, analysis, fabrication, and economical utilize of materials, a number of modern bridges have deliberately departed from this, either in response to site-specific considerations or to create a dramatic design statement. .

Oakland Bay Bridge: Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge reflects asymmetrical architectural design.

Radial balance refers to circular elements in compositions. In classical geometry, a radius of a circumvolve or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of whatever such segment, which is half the diameter. The radius may be more than than half the diameter, which is ordinarily defined as the maximum distance between any two points of the figure. The inradius of a geometric figure is usually the radius of the largest circle or sphere contained in it. The inner radius of a ring, tube or other hollow object is the radius of its cavity. The name "radial" or "radius" comes from Latin radius, meaning "ray" only also the spoke of a circular chariot bicycle.

Rhythm

Artists use rhythm as a tool to guide the eye of the viewer through works of art.

Learning Objectives

Recognize and interpret the use of rhythm in a work of art

Primal Takeaways

Primal Points

• Rhythm may be more often than not divers as a "move marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of reverse or different atmospheric condition" (Anon. 1971).
• Rhythm may as well refer to visual presentation as "timed movement through space " (Jirousek 1995), and a common language of pattern unites rhythm with geometry.
• For instance, placing a red spiral at the bottom left and top correct, for example, volition crusade the eye to motion from ane spiral, to the other, and everything in between. Information technology is indicating move in the piece by the repetition of elements and, therefore, can brand artwork seem active.

Primal Terms

• symmetry:Exact correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or centrality. The satisfying organisation of a counterbalanced distribution of the elements of a whole.

The principles of visual fine art are the rules, tools, and guidelines that artists use to organize the elements of in a piece of artwork. When the principles and elements are successfully combined, they aid in creating an aesthetically pleasing or interesting work of fine art. While at that place is some variation among them, motion, unity, harmony, variety, balance, rhythm, emphasis, contrast , proportion, and pattern are commonly sited as principles of art.

Rhythm (from Greek rhythmos, "any regular recurring motion, symmetry " (Liddell and Scott 1996)) may exist generally divers as a "move marked past the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different weather" (Anon. 1971). This general pregnant of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be practical to a broad multifariousness of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or frequency of anything from microseconds to millions of years. In the performing arts, rhythm is the timing of events on a human scale, of musical sounds and silences, of the steps of a dance, or the meter of spoken language and poetry. Rhythm may also refer to visual presentation, as "timed move through space" (Jirousek 1995), and a common linguistic communication of pattern unites rhythm with geometry.

In a visual limerick , pattern and rhythm are generally expressed by showing consistency with colors or lines . For example, placing a blood-red screw at the lesser left and top right, for example, volition crusade the heart to move from i spiral, to the other, and so to the infinite in between. The repetition of elements creates movement of the viewer 'due south eye and tin can, therefore, make the artwork feel active. Hilma af Klint's Svanen (The Swan) exemplifies the visual representation of rhythm using color and symmetry.

Hilma af Klint, Svanen (The Swan), 1914: Colour and symmetry piece of work together in this painting to guide the eye of the viewer in a particular visual rhythm.

Proportion and Calibration

Proportion is a measurement of the size and quantity of elements inside a composition.

Learning Objectives

Use the concept of proportion to different works of art

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Hierarchical proportion is a technique used in art, mostly in sculpture and painting, in which the artist uses unnatural proportion or scale to depict the relative importance of the figures in the artwork.
• Mathematically, proportion is the relation betwixt elements and a whole. In architecture, the whole is not only a edifice only the set and setting of the site.
• Among the diverse ancient artistic traditions, the harmonic proportions, human proportions, cosmic orientations, various aspects of sacred geometry , and pocket-sized whole-number ratios were all applied as role of the practice of architectural design.

Primal Terms

• gold ratio:The irrational number (approximately 1·618), normally denoted past the Greek letter of the alphabet φ (phi), which is equal to the sum of its own reciprocal and 1, or, equivalently, is such that the ratio of one to the number is equal to the ratio of its reciprocal to ane. Some twentieth-century artists and architects have proportioned their works to approximate this—especially in the form of the golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter equals this number—believing this proportion to be aesthetically pleasing.

Proportion is a measurement of the size and quantity of elements within a composition . Hierarchical proportion is a technique used in art, generally in sculpture and painting, in which the artist uses unnatural proportion or scale to depict the relative importance of the figures in the artwork. In aboriginal Egyptian fine art, for case, gods and of import political figures appear much larger than common people. Commencement with the Renaissance , artists recognized the connection between proportion and perspective , and the illusion of 3-dimensional space . Images of the human body in exaggerated proportion were used to depict the reality an artist interpreted.

Depiction of Narmer from the Narmer Palette: Narmer, a Predynastic ruler, accompanied by men carrying the standards of various local gods. This slice demonstrates the ancient Egyptians' use of proportion, with Narmer appearing larger than the other figures depicted.

Mathematically, proportion is the relation between elements and a whole. In architecture, the whole is non only a building but the set and setting of the site. The things that make a building and its site "well shaped" include everything from the orientation of the site and the buildings on it, to the features of the grounds on which information technology is situated. Light, shade, wind, elevation , and choice of materials all relate to a standard of architectural proportion.

Compages has often used proportional systems to generate or constrain the forms considered suitable for inclusion in a edifice. In almost every building tradition, there is a organisation of mathematical relations which governs the relationships between aspects of the design. These systems of proportion are oftentimes quite elementary: whole number ratios or incommensurable ratios (such equally the golden ratio) were adamant using geometrical methods. Generally, the goal of a proportional arrangement is to produce a sense of coherence and harmony among the elements of a building.

Among the diverse ancient artistic traditions, the harmonic proportions, man proportions, cosmic orientations, various aspects of sacred geometry, and pocket-size whole-number ratios were all applied equally part of the practice of architectural design. For case, the Greek classical architectural orders are all proportioned rather than dimensioned or measured modules, because the earliest modules were non based on body parts and their spans (fingers, palms, easily, and anxiety), but rather on column diameters and the widths of arcades and fenestrations .

Temple of Portanus: The Greek Temple of Portanus is an example of classical Greek architecture with its tetrastyle portico of four Ionic columns.

Typically, one prepare of column diameter modules used for casework and architectural moldings by the Egyptians and Romans is based on the proportions of the palm and the finger, while another less delicate module—used for door and window trim, tile work, and roofing in Mesopotamia and Hellenic republic—was based on the proportions of the hand and the thumb.

Dating back to the Pythagoreans, in that location was an idea that proportions should be related to standards, and that the more general and formulaic the standards, the better. This concept—that there should be beauty and elegance evidenced past a skillful limerick of well understood elements—underlies mathematics, art, and architecture. The classical standards are a series of paired opposites designed to expand the dimensional constraints of harmony and proportion.

Space

Space in art can be divers equally the expanse that exists between two identifiable points.

Learning Objectives

Define space in art and listing ways it is employed by artists

Key Takeaways

Fundamental Points

• The organization of infinite is referred to as composition and is an essential component to any work of art.
• The space of an artwork includes the background, foreground, and middle basis , equally well equally the distance betwixt, around, and within things.
• There are two types of space: positive infinite and negative space.
• Afterward spending hundreds of years developing linear perspective , Western creative notions about the accurate delineation of space went through a radical shift at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Cubism and subsequent modernist movements represented an important shift in the use of space inside Western fine art, which is all the same existence felt today.

Key Terms

• space:The distance or empty area betwixt things.
• Cubism:An artistic movement in the early 20th century characterized past the depiction of natural forms as geometric structures of planes.

The organization of infinite in art is referred to as composition, and is an essential component of whatsoever work of art. Infinite tin be generally defined as the expanse that exists between any two identifiable points.

Space is conceived of differently in each medium . The infinite in a painting, for example, includes the background, foreground and eye ground, while three-dimensional space, like sculpture or installation , will involve the altitude between, around, and within points of the work. Space is farther categorized as positive or negative. "Positive space" can be defined as the subject of an artwork, while "negative space" can be defined every bit the space around the subject.

Over the ages, space has been conceived of in diverse means. Artists have devoted a corking deal of time to experimenting with perspectives and degrees of flatness of the pictorial plane .

The perspective system has been a highly employed convention in Western art. Visually, information technology is an illusionist phenomenon, well suited to realism and the depiction of reality as it appears. Later on spending hundreds of years developing linear perspective, Western creative conventions about the accurate depiction of infinite went through a radical shift at the beginning of the 20th century. The innovations of Cubism and subsequent modernist movements represented an important shift in the employ of space within Western art, the bear on of which is still existence felt.

Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is an example of cubist fine art, which has a tendency to flatten the moving-picture show plane, and its use of abstract shapes and irregular forms suggest multiple points of view within a single paradigm.

Two-Dimensional Space

Ii-dimensional, or bi-dimensional, space is a geometric model of the planar projection of the physical universe in which we alive.

Learning Objectives

Discuss 2-dimensional space in fine art and the concrete properties on which it is based

Primal Takeaways

Key Points

• In physical terms, dimension refers to the constituent construction of all space and its position in time.
• Drawing is a class of visual art that makes utilize of whatsoever number of instruments to mark a ii-dimensional medium .
• Nigh whatsoever dimensional form tin be represented past some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, and so the drawing can be refined into a more authentic and polished course.

Key Terms

• dimension:A unmarried aspect of a given thing. A measure of spatial extent in a particular direction, such every bit height, width or breadth, or depth.
• Two-Dimensional:Existing in ii dimensions. Not creating the illusion of depth.
• Planar:Of or pertaining to a plane. Flat, ii-dimensional.

Two dimensional, or bi-dimensional, space is a geometric model of the planar projection of the physical universe in which we live. The two dimensions are commonly called length and width. Both directions lie on the same plane . In physics, our bi-dimensional infinite is viewed as a planar representation of the space in which we move.

Mathematical depiction of bi-dimensional space: Bi-dimensional Cartesian coordinate organization.

In art composition , drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of whatsoever number of drawing instruments to mark a 2-dimensional medium (pregnant that the object does not have depth). 1 of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas, the medium has been a pop and fundamental ways of public expression throughout human history. Additionally, the relative availability of basic drawing instruments makes drawing more universal than most other media.

Measuring the dimensions of a discipline while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of a subject. Tools such every bit a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the cartoon surface so rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another class of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of unlike parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a betoken along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the prototype. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions. When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human effigy, it is helpful at first to correspond the form with a set of primitive shapes.

Virtually any dimensional form tin be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, then the cartoon can exist refined into a more authentic and polished class. The lines of the primitive shapes are removed and replaced by the last likeness. A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the creative person possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during motility. This allows the creative person to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially potent. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the historic period of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Drawing human figures: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Madame Palmyre with Her Canis familiaris, 1897.

Linear Perspective and 3-Dimensional Space

Perspective is an approximate representation on a flat surface of an prototype equally information technology is seen by the eye.

Learning Objectives

Explain perspective and its impact on art composition

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Systematic attempts to evolve a organisation of perspective are ordinarily considered to have begun around the fifth century B.C. in the art of Ancient Greece.
• The primeval art paintings and drawings typically sized objects and characters hierarchically according to their spiritual or thematic importance, not their distance from the viewer .
• In Medieval Europe, the use and sophistication of attempts to convey distance increased steadily but without a ground in a systematic theory.
• By the Renaissance , nearly every artist in Italy used geometrical perspective in their paintings, both to portray depth and also as a new and "of the moment" compositional method.

Key Terms

• curvilinear:Having bends; curved; formed by curved lines.
• horizon line:A horizontal line in perspective drawing, direct opposite the viewer'due south eye and oftentimes implied, that represents objects infinitely far away and determines the bending or perspective from which the viewer sees the work.
• vanishing bespeak:The bespeak in a perspective drawing at which parallel lines receding from an observer seem to converge.
• Perspective:The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.

In art, perspective is an judge representation on a flat surface of an paradigm equally information technology is seen by the eye, calculated past assuming a particular vanishing point . Systematic attempts to evolve a organisation of perspective are usually considered to accept begun around the 5th century BCE in the fine art of Ancient Hellenic republic. By the later periods of antiquity , artists—especially those in less popular traditions—were well aware that distant objects could exist shown smaller than those shut at manus for increased illusionism. But whether this convention was actually used in a piece of work depended on many factors. Some of the paintings found in the ruins of Pompeii evidence a remarkable realism and perspective for their fourth dimension.

The earliest art paintings and drawings typically sized objects and characters hierarchically according to their spiritual or thematic importance, not their distance from the viewer. The most important figures are often shown every bit the highest in a composition , also from hieratic motives, leading to the "vertical perspective" common in the art of Ancient Arab republic of egypt , where a group of "nearer" figures are shown beneath the larger figure(due south).

The art of the Migration Catamenia had no tradition of attempting compositions of large numbers of figures, and Early on Medieval fine art was slow and inconsistent in relearning the convention from classical models, though the process can be seen underway in Carolingian art. European Medieval artists were aware of the full general principle of varying the relative size of elements according to distance, and use and composure of attempts to convey distance increased steadily during the menses, merely without a footing in a systematic theory.

By the Renaissance, nonetheless, virtually every artist in Italy used geometrical perspective in their paintings. Not only was this utilize of perspective a way to portray depth, but it was also a new method of composing a painting. Paintings began to show a single, unified scene, rather than a combination of several. For a while, perspective remained the domain of Florence. Gradually, and partly through the motility of academies of the arts, the Italian techniques became part of the training of artists across Europe and, subsequently, other parts of the globe.

Perspective in Renaissance Painting: Pietro Perugino'due south usage of perspective in this fresco at the Sistine Chapel (1481–82) helped bring the Renaissance to Rome.

A drawing has one-point perspective when it contains only i vanishing point on the horizon line . This type of perspective is typically used for images of roads, railway tracks, hallways, or buildings viewed so that the front end is directly facing the viewer. Any objects that are made upward of lines either directly parallel with the viewer'southward line of sight or directly perpendicular (the railroad slats) can be represented with i-betoken perspective. These parallel lines converge at the vanishing bespeak.

2-signal perspective can be used to draw the aforementioned objects as ane-signal perspective, but rotated—such as looking at the corner of a firm, or looking at two forked roads compress into the distance. In looking at a house from the corner, for instance, one wall would recede towards one vanishing point and the other wall would recede towards the contrary vanishing point.

Three-point perspective is used for buildings depicted from higher up or beneath. In add-on to the ii vanishing points from before, one for each wall, at that place is now a third one for how those walls recede into the ground . This tertiary vanishing point would be below the ground.

Four-point perspective is the curvilinear variant of two-point perspective. The resulting elongated frame tin exist used both horizontally and vertically. Like all other foreshortened variants of perspective, four-point perspective starts off with a horizon line, followed by iv as spaced vanishing points to delineate 4 vertical lines. Because vanishing points be simply when parallel lines are present in the scene, a perspective with no vanishing points ("nothing-point") occurs if the viewer is observing a not-rectilinear scene. The most common example of a nonlinear scene is a natural scene (eastward.thou., a mountain range), which frequently does non contain any parallel lines. A perspective without vanishing points can even so create a sense of depth.

Distortions of Space and Foreshortening

Baloney is used to create diverse representations of space in two-dimensional works of art.

Learning Objectives

Place how distortion is both employed and avoided in works of art

Cardinal Takeaways

Key Points

• Perspective projection distortion is the inevitable misrepresentation of iii-dimensional space when drawn or "projected" onto a two-dimensional surface. It is incommunicable to accurately depict three-dimensional reality on a 2-dimensional aeroplane .
• However, there are several constructs available which let for seemingly accurate representation. Perspective projection can be used to mirror how the centre sees by the use of one or more than vanishing points .
• Although distortion tin be irregular or follow many patterns, the most commonly encountered distortions in composition , especially in photography, are radially symmetric, or approximately so, arising from the symmetry of a photographic lens.

Central Terms

• radial:Arranged like rays that radiate from, or converge into, a common center
• projection:The image that a translucent object casts onto another object.
• foreshortening:A technique for creating the appearance that the object of a cartoon is extending into space by shortening the lines with which that object is drawn.

A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of an object, prototype, audio, or other form of information or representation. Baloney can be wanted or unwanted by the artist. Distortion is usually unwanted when it concerns concrete degradation of a work. However, it is more normally referred to in terms of perspective, where it is employed to create realistic representations of infinite in two-dimensional works of art.

Perspective Projection Distortion

Perspective project distortion is the inevitable misrepresentation of three-dimensional space when drawn or "projected" onto a two-dimensional surface. It is incommunicable to accurately draw three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional plane. However, there are several constructs available that allow for seemingly accurate representation. The nearly common of these is perspective projection. Perspective project can be used to mirror how the center sees past making apply of one or more than vanishing points.

Giotto, Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ), 1305–1306: Giotto is one of the most notable pre-Renaissance artists to recognize distortion on 2-dimensional planes.

Foreshortening

Foreshortening is the visual effect or optical illusion that causes an object or distance to appear shorter than information technology really is because it is angled toward the viewer . Although foreshortening is an important element in fine art where visual perspective is being depicted, foreshortening occurs in other types of ii-dimensional representations of three-dimensional scenes, such as oblique parallel project drawings.

The physiological basis of visual foreshortening was undefined until the year 1000 when the Arabian mathematician and philosopher, Alhazen, in his Perspectiva, offset explained that light projects conically into the center. A method for presenting foreshortened geometry systematically onto a plane surface was unknown for another 300 years. The artist Giotto may have been the starting time to recognize that the image beheld by the eye is distorted: to the eye, parallel lines appear to intersect (like the distant edges of a path or route), whereas in "undistorted" nature, they practice non. In many of Giotto'due south paintings, perspective is employed to accomplish various distortion furnishings.

Foreshortening: This painting illustrates Melozzo da Forlì's usage of upward foreshortening in his frescoes at The Basilica della Santa Casa.

Distortion in Photography

In photography, the projection machinery is lite reflected from an object. To execute a drawing using perspective projection, projectors emanate from all points of an object and intersect at a station point. These projectors intersect with an imaginary plane of projection and an image is created on the aeroplane by the points of intersection. The resulting image on the projection plane reproduces the paradigm of the object every bit it is beheld from the station indicate.

Radial distortion can usually be classified equally one of two main types: barrel distortion and pincushion distortion. Barrel distortion occurs when image magnification decreases with distance from the optical centrality. The apparent effect is that of an image which has been mapped effectually a sphere (or barrel). Fisheye lenses, which take hemispherical views, utilize this type of baloney as a way to map an infinitely wide object plane into a finite prototype expanse.

On the other mitt, in pincushion baloney, the image magnification increases with the distance from the optical axis. The visible effect is that lines that practise not go through the center of the image are bowed inward, towards the center of the image, like a pincushion. A certain amount of pincushion distortion is often found with visual optical instruments (i.e., binoculars), where it serves to eliminate the world effect.

Cylindrical perspective is a course of distortion caused by fisheye and panoramic lenses, which reproduce direct horizontal lines above and beneath the lens centrality level as curved, while reproducing straight horizontal lines on lens axis level as straight. This is also a common feature of broad-angle anamorphic lenses of less than 40mm focal length in cinematography. Essentially it is just barrel baloney, but only in the horizontal plane. It is an artifact of the squeezing procedure that anamorphic lenses practice to fit widescreen images onto standard-width film.

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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/visual-elements/

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