gateways to art chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.1

Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Two-Dimensional Art

Elements of art Form the basic vocabulary of art

Principles of art The “grammar” of art

1.1 Spider, c. 500 BCE–500 CE, Nazca, Peru

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Spider, Nazca, Peru

Outline The outermost line of an object or figure, by which it is

defined or bounded

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Definition and Functions of Line

A mark, or implied mark, between two endpoints

Defines the boundaries between planes

Defines shapes

Directs the viewer’s eye

Conveys a sense of movement and energy

1.2b Canaletto, The Maundy Thursday Festival before the Ducal Palace in Venice, 1763/6. Pen and brown ink with gray wash, heightened with white gouache, 15⅛ x 21¾”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

1.3 CLAMP, page from the Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, volume 21, page 47

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Lines to Regulate and Control

Regular lines express control and planning

1.4 Mel Bochner, Vertigo, 1982. Charcoal, Conté crayon, and pastel on canvas, 9’ x 6’2”. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Mel Bochner, Vertigo

Conceptual Art = a work in which the ideas are often as important as how it is made

1.5 Barbara Hepworth, Drawing for Sculpture (with color), 1941. Pencil and gouache on paper mounted on board, 14 x 16”.Private collection

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Lines to Express Freedom and Passion

Lines can be irregular, reflecting the wildness of nature, chaos, and accident

1.6 André Masson, Automatic Drawing, 1925–6. Ink on paper, 12 x 9½”. Musée National d’Art Moderne. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

1.7 Jean Dubuffet, Suite avec 7 Personnages, 1981. Ink on paper, 13¾ x 16⅞”. Private collection

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Regular and Irregular Lines

Most artworks use both regular and irregular lines

1.8 George Bellows, Woodstock Road, Woodstock, New York, 1924. Black crayon on wove paper, image 6⅛ x 8⅞”, sheet 9¼ x 12⅜”. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Implied Line

A line not actually drawn but suggested by elements in the work

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

1.9 Actual and Implied Lines

1.10 Franco-German hand, Pentateuch with Prophetical Readings and the Five Scrolls, 13th–14th century. Illustrated manuscript. British Library, London, England

1.11 Detail of Pentateuch with Prophetical Readings and the Five Scrolls

1.12 Sauerkids, The Devil Made Me Do It, 2006. Digital image, 16½ x 8¼”

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Directional Line

Artists can use line to direct a viewer’s attention to a particular part of a work

1.13 slide 1: Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’4⅜” x 11’3⅞”. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

1.13 slide 2: Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’4⅜” x 11’3⅞”. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Contour Line

Contour lines can suggest a volume in space by giving us clues about the changing character of a surface

1.15 Egon Schiele, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Standing, with Hands on Hips, 1915. Black crayon on paper, 18 x 11¼”. Private collection

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Communicative Line

Vertical lines = strength and energy

Horizontal lines = calmness and passiveness

Diagonal lines = action, motion, and change

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

1.16 Communicative qualities of line

1.17 Carolyn Davidson, Nike Company logo, 1971

1.18 Vincent van Gogh, The Bedroom, 1889. Oil on canvas, 28¾ x 36¼”. Art Institute of Chicago

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Shape: Geometric and Organic Shapes

Shapes can be classified into two types: geometric and organic

Organic shapes are made up of unpredictable, irregular lines that suggest the natural world

Geometric shapes are mathematically regular and precise

1.19 Geometric and Organic Shapes

1.20 Miriam Schapiro, Baby Blocks, 1983. Collage on paper, 29⅞ x 30”. University of South Florida Collection, Tampa

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Implied Shape

Implied shapes are shapes we can see where no continuous boundary exists

1.21 Implied shapes

1.22 Saul Bass, Bass & Yager, AT&T logo, 1984

Chapter 1.1 Art in Two Dimensions: Line, Shape, and the Principle of Contrast

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Contrast

When an artist uses two noticeably different states of an element, he or she is applying the principle of contrast

1.23a Shepard Fairey, Obey, 1996. Campaign poster

1.23b Shepard Fairey, Obey, 1996. View of the posters as they were installed in public

1.24 Georgia O’Keeffe, Music—Pink and Blue II, 1919. Oil on canvas, 35 x 29⅛”. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

1.25 Al Grivetti, Big Ten logo, 1991

1.26 M. C. Escher, Sky and Water I, 1938. Woodcut, 17⅛ x 17⅜”. The M. C. Escher Company, Netherlands

1.27 Banner of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212–50. Silk and gilt thread tapestry, 10’10” x 7’2⅝”. Monasterio de las Huelgas, Museo de Telas Medievales, Burgos, Spain