Elements of Art and Interpretation to Derive Meaning

Question 1

Principles of Art

Answer 1

Balance, Repetition (motif), Contrast, Emphasis, Unity

Question 2

Balance

Answer 2

Lets say you have a figure (subject) in the left corner of your artwork frame. Your piece is unbalanced so you add trees on the right side.

Question 3

Contrast and Emphasis

Answer 3

contrast used to create feeling of depth.
Emphasis is what your eye is drawn to. Use contrast to create emphasis. Create more emphasis by colors, or putting in the foreground, or difference of shapes

(Catiscuro, sp?) -

Question 4

Unity

Answer 4

How all the elements in the frame, painting, photo, whatever, how they all fit together. If one part is cartoony while all the other is realistic, there is disunity.

Question 5

Other important principles of art

Answer 5

Lines- (curvy or straight)
Color- (primary red yellow blue, secondary- green violet orange, warm versus cool colors, emotional connotations)
Value- pale or vibrant color
Space- positive (space occupied by subject) or negative space. (space outside the subject) Sometimes it depends on viewer what you determine as the positive or negative space.
Texture- rough or smooth. can create illusions of rough or smooth as well.
Shape- curved or angular, triangles, ovals, cubism broken up, geometic
Form- broad connotation, used to describe style of art OR what media (sculpture, watercolor, canvas)

Question 6

How is a flat effect created in art?

Answer 6

no illusion of depth, with a flat canvas.

Question 7

How is the effect of depth created? What are the easiest and most difficult ways of creating the effect of depth?

Answer 7

4 main ways, easiest to most difficult

1- overlapping objects
2- Scale (what is bigger is closer)
3- linear perspective (road gets smaller at the horizon. Vanishing point- good term to know for the test)
4- atmospheric perspective (play the idea that as things get farther away, less contrast and more grey, less warm and more cool in the background.) things are FUZZIER in the background, not is clear.

Question 8

How is a static or dynamic effect created in art?

Answer 8

static- something is still. everything in the painting is already that way, so you need to create dynamic away from the main object.
static, make lines crisp
to make dynamic and moving, you make it blurring, thats what happens when something moves or you can make it in motion (like a horse with its legs in mid-gallop.

Question 9

When interpreting a piece..

Answer 9

• focus on specific aspects of the artwork that are referenced in the question (ex: what does the coloring suggest in this piece, or the historical aspect FOCUS ON IT.)
• artwork can have a great many meanings and interpretation is as much about the observer as the artwork itself.
• interactive experience
• identify theme