closely linked elements in art
time and motion
traditional art media
motionless and timeless
unity
imposition of order and harmony in a design
variety
visual diversity that brings many different ideas, medias and elemnts together in one composition
balance
distribution of elements, whether unified or varied within a work
perceive scale
in relation to our own size
Art objects created on a monumental scale
appear larger than they would be in normal life
Art objects created on a human scale
correspond to the size of things as they actually exist
Small-scale objects
appear smaller than our usual experience of them in the real world
Usually, an artist ensures that
all the parts of an object are in proportion to one another
linear method
still used by artists, comic-book writers, and designers who want to tell a story or express the passing of time
Time-based arts, such as film, embody six basic
attributes of time
1.duration
2. tempo
3. intensity
4. scope
5. setting
6.chronology
Motion
occurs when an object changes location or position
Motion
is directly linked to time
To communicate motion without actually making
anything move, artists
choose to imply time or, alternatively, create the illusion of time
Implied Motion
when we do not actually see the motion happening, but visual clues tell us that it is a key aspect of the work
Stroboscopic Motion
When we see two or more repeated images in quick succession, they tend visually to fuse together
Actual Motion
We perceive actual motion when something really
changes over time
Performance art
is theatrical; the artist's intention is not to
create an art object, but an experience that can exist only in
one place and time in history
Kinetic art
plays out the passage of time through an art
object, usually a sculpture, which moves
A photograph
freezes a moment in time
Organic materials
grow and degrade with the passage of time, so work by "bioartists" is always changing
Unity
Provides an artwork with its cohesiveness and helps
communicate its visual idea
three kinds of unity
compositional, conceptual, and gestalt (the complete
order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an
artwork's design)
gestalt
the complete order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an
artwork's design
compositional unity
organizing all the visual aspects of a work
Too much similarity of shape, color, line, or any single element or principle of art
can be monotonous and make us lose interest
Too much variety
lead to a lack of structure and the absence of a central idea
Conceptual unity
cohesive expression of ideas within a work of art
Gestalt
German word for form or shape
Gestalt Unity
Refers to something in which the whole seems greater than
the sum of its parts
get a sense of gestalt
we comprehend how compositional unity and conceptual unity work
together
Variety
a collection of ideas, elements, or materials that are fused together into one design
Variety is about
uniqueness and diversity
Artists use a multiplicity of values, textures, colors,
and so on
to intensify the impact of a work
Variety
can invigorate a design
Variety
is the artist's way of giving a work of art a jolt
Using Variety to Unify
Even while using a variety of different shapes, colors, values, or other elements, an artist can create visual harmony
Balance
Just as real objects have physical weight, parts of a work of art can have visual weight, or impact
If the amount of visual weight does not have a reasonable counterweight on the opposite side
the work may appear to be unsuccessful or unfinished
Symmetrical Balance
If a work can be cut in half and each side looks exactly (or nearly exactly) the same
Near-perfect symmetry
exists in the human body
Asymmetrical Balance
When artists organize a composition they often use different visual "weights" on each side of it
Asymmetrical Balance applies when
the elements on the left and right sides are not the same, but the combination of elements counters each other
Radial balance (or symmetry)
is achieved when all elements in a work are equidistant from a central
point and repeat in a symmetrical way from side to side and top to bottom
Radial Balance
Can imply circular and repeating elements
Radial Balance
Sometimes used in religious symbols and architecture where repetition plays an important role in the design
small-scale work
implies intimacy
Large-scale works
can be experienced by groups of viewers and usually communicate big ideas directed at a large audience
Usually a monumental scale
indicates heroism or other epic virtues
War monuments
often feature figures much larger than life-size in order to convey the
bravery of the warriors
Hierarchical scale
refers to the deliberate use of relative size in a work of art, in order to communicate differences in importance
Almost always, larger
means more important, and smaller means less important
Distorted Scale
An artist may deliberately distort scale to create an
abnormal or supernatural effect
Proportion
The relationships between the sizes of different parts
of a work make up its proportions
Carefully chosen proportion
can make an art object seem pleasing to the eye
The ancient Egyptians
used the palm of the hand as a unit of measurement
The ancient Greeks
sought an ideal of beauty in the principle of proportion
The models used by the Greeks for calculating
human proportion
were later adopted by artists of
ancient Rome, and then by Renaissance artists
The Golden Section
is a proportional ratio of 1:1.618, which occurs in many natural objects
Real human bodies do not have exactly these
proportions, but when the ratio 1:1.618 is applied to
making statues
it gives naturalistic results
The proportions of Ancient Greek sculptures
are often very close to the Golden Section
