Art Fundamentals Chapter 2
Form
Art Fundamentals Chapter 2 THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS Form: 1. The arbitrary 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.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS Form: 1. The arbitrary 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.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
academic
Art that conforms to established traditions and approved conventions as practiced in art academies. Academic art stresses standards and set procedures and rules.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
allover pattern
The repetition of designed units in a readily recognizable systematic organization covering the entire surface.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
allover pattern
The repetition of designed units in a readily recognizable systematic organization covering the entire surface.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
allover pattern
The repetition of designed units in a readily recognizable systematic organization covering the entire surface.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
approximate symmetry The use of similar imagery on either side of a central axis. The visual material on one side may resemble that on the other but is varied to prevent visual monotony.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
asymmetry Having unlike, or noncorresponding, appearances "without symmetry." An example: a twodimensional artwork that, without any necessarily visible or implied axis, displays an uneven distribution of parts throughout.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
balance
A sense of equilibrium achieved through implied weight, attention, or attraction, by manipulating the visual elements within an artwork to achieve unity.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS ď Ž
ď Ž
closure A concept from Gestalt psychology in which the development of groupings or patterned relationships occurs when incomplete information is seen as a complete, unified whole; the artist provides minimum visual clues, and the observer brings them to final recognition.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
composition An arrangement and/or structure of all the art elements, according to the principles of organization, that achieves a unified whole. Often used interchangeably with the term design.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS ď Ž
concept
I. A comprehensive idea or generalization. 2. An idea that brings diverse elements into a basic relationship.
What can you make from the elements on the left?
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.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS ď Ž
ď Ž
dominance The principle of visual organization in which certain elements assume more importance than others in the same composition or design. Some features are emphasized, and others are subordinated.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
economy
The distillation of the image to the basic essentials for clarity of presentation.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
Gestalt (Gestalt psychology) A German word for "form"; an organized whole in experience. Around 1912, the Gestalt psychologists promoted the theory that explains psychological phenomena by their relationships to total forms, or Gestalten, rather than by their parts. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS golden mean, golden section I. Golden mean - "perfect" harmonious proportions that avoid extremes; the moderation between extremes. ď Ž
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS golden mean, golden section 2. Golden section - a traditional proportional system for visual harmony expressed when a line or area is divided into two sections so that the smaller part is to the larger as the larger is to the whole. ď Ž The ratio developed is 1: 1.6180 ... or roughly 8:1 3. ď Ž
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS golden mean, golden section The ratio developed is 1: 1.6180 ... or roughly 8:1 3. яБо
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS golden mean, golden section The ratio developed is 1: 1.6180 ... or roughly 8:1 3. яБо
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS golden mean, golden section The ratio developed is 1: 1.6180 ... or roughly 8:1 3. яБо
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS яБо
golden mean, golden section
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
harmony
The quality of relating the visual elements of a composition. Harmony is achieved by the repetition of characteristics that are the same or similar. These cohesive factors create pleasing interaction.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
interpenetration
The movement of planes, objects, or shapes through each other, locking them together within a specified area of space.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
motif A designed unit or pattern that is repeated often enough in the total composition to make it a significant or dominant feature. Motif is similar to theme or melody in a musical composition.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
movement
Eye travel directed by visual pathways in a work of art.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
pattern
I. Any artistic design (sometimes serving as a model for imitation). 2. A repeated element and/or design that is usually varied and produces interconnections and obvious directional movements.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
principles of organization
Seven principles that guide the use of the elements of art in achieving unity: 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
harmony, variety, balance, proportion, dominance, movement, and economy.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
proportion
The comparative relationship between the parts of a whole or units as to size.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
radial
Emanating from a central location.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
repetition The use of the same visual effect a number of times in the same composition. Repetition may produce the dominance of one visual idea, a feeling of harmonious relationship, an obviously planned pattern, or a rhythmic movement.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
rhythm
A continuance, a flow, or a sense of movement achieved by the repetition of regulated visual units; the use of measured accents.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
scale
The association of size relative to a constant standard or specific unit of measure related to human dimensions.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
symmetry
The exact duplication of appearances in mirror-like repetition on either side of a (usually imaginary) straightlined central axis.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
transparency
A visual quality in which a distant image or element can be seen through a nearer one.
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.
THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS ď Ž
variety
ď Ž
Differences achieved by opposing, contrasting, changing, elaborating, or diversifying elements in a composition to add individualism and interest; the counterweight of harmony in art.
Art Fundamentals Chapter 2 Form THE VOCABULARY OF INTRODUCTORY TERMS
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Form and Visual Ordering A completed work of art = Subject + Form + Content
Form and Visual Ordering
Form: The structural principles of visual order.
When we see images, we take part in visual forming.
The mind instinctively tries to create order out of chaos.
Artists are visual formers with a plan.
Form and Visual Ordering ď Ž
Principles of Organization: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Harmony Variety Balance Proportions Dominance Movement Economy
= UNITY
Form and Visual Ordering
The PLAN Composition or Design
The plan will effectively communicate the artist’s feelings. How the elements are organized.
Form and Visual Ordering ď Ž
One must know about the individual elements in order to use them to harmonize a work.
Art Fundamentals Chapter 2 Form End