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Introduction to Modern European Art

Art appreciation e-course

kiamaartgallery@gmail.com

61+  402841638

Kiama Downs, NSW, Australia

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    kiamaartgallery@gmail.com

    +61 402841638

    Introduction to
    Modern European Art

    Edgar Degas, Woman Drying Herself after

    Some Art Terms Explained

     

    Artists "design" their works by controlling and ordering various elements of art.

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    Understanding some basic art terms can help you to 'read' a painting and see how they used these elements and techniques to achieve different results. Even abstract artists plan how they will place various elements in their work.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    paul gaugin breton girls dancing pont aven 1888

    Paul Gauguin, Breton Girls Dancing, Pont Aven, 1888

    Composition

    Composition is the plan, placement or arrangement of the visual elements, to make a complete work of art. The way in which the artwork is composed will define the hierarchy within the work, telling the viewer the relative importance of the images and elements included.

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    Pablo Picasso, Standing Female Nude, 1910

    Mondrian lozenge Composition with Red Grey Blue Yellow and Black 1924 25

    Balance

    A sense of balance is achieved through colour and the way in which objects are placed. Symmetrical compositions convey a sense of stability  and asymmetrical compositions tend to convey a sense of movement because the elements of the composition are unbalanced. Radial or rotational balance is based on a circle with a design extending from or focused upon its centre.

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    Pablo Picasso, Standing Female Nude, 1910

    Alexander Calder, Stabiles, 1963

    Contrast

    Contrast is the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colours, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in an artwork so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama. The colours white and black provide the greatest degree of contrast.
     
    Complementary colours also highly contrast with one another.
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    The Panthenon

    The Panthenon

    Golden Ratio

    The golden ratio describes a rectangle with a length roughly one and a half times its width. Many artists and architects have fashioned their works around this proportion.

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    Marc Chagall I and the Village 1911

    Lines, Shape and Form

    Lines provide direction for the viewer's eye through the picture. They will be straight, curved or in a 'zigzag'.

     

    Shapes are forned when lines meet, that is, as shape is an area enclosed by one or more lines.

     

    Forms are similar to shapes but are three dimensional.

    Marc Chagall I and the Village 1911.

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    Jean Ingres, Princesse de Broglie, 1851 - 53

    Jean Ingres, Princesse de Broglie, 1851 - 53

    Harmony

    Harmony is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements - for example, adjacent colours on the colour wheel, similar shapes etc.

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    Ernest Meissonier, Campaign of France, 1814

    Ernest Meissonier, Campaign of France, 1814

    Mood

    Mood is the emotion that is evoked through the choice of subject matter, pose of the figures, composition and colour.

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    Pablo Picasso, Maya with a Doll,  1938

    Pablo Picasso, Maya with a Doll,  1938

    Perspective

    Perspective is the way in which objects appear to the eye, based on their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to those objects. Smaller objects appear to be in the distance and larger objects appear to be closer and in the foreground.

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    William Michael Harnett, Still life, Violin and Music, 1888

    Picture Plane

    The picture plane is an imaginary plane (flat surface) which corresponds to the surface of the canvas (but sitting above it), directly at the viewer’s line of sight. It's commonly associated with the foreground of a painting, just at the viewer's line of sight.

     

    In most representational paintings, all the elements in the picture appear to recede from the picture  plane (ie behind it), while trompe l'œil effects are achieved by painting objects in such a way that they seem to project in front of the picture plane. However, a number of modernist painters deliberately chose to present three dimensional objects as having the same flat surface (picture plane) as the canvas itself.

    William Michael Harnett, Still life, Violin and Music, 1888

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    Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Vitruviun Man, Study of proportions

    Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Vitruviun Man, Study of proportions

    Proportion

    Proportion refers to the relative size and scale (ratio) of the various elements in a work of art. This creates a relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole particularly in relation to size or quantity.

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    George Seurat, Bathing at Asnières, 1883-84

    George Seurat, Bathing at Asnières, 1883-84

    Rule of Thirds

    The rule of thirds is a compositional tool that makes use of the belief that the most interesting compositions are those in which the primary element is off centre.

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    Francoise Gilot, Composition, 20th Century

    Francoise Gilot, Composition, 20th Century

    Space

    Space refers to the use of the surface area on a work of art. In any work of art there will be a single object or a number of primary objects. These spaces are known as positive space. The space between the primary objects, or around a single object, is known as negative space.

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    Paul Cezanne, Compotier, Pitcher, and Fruit (Nature morte), 1892-94

    Paul Cezanne, Compotier, Pitcher, and Fruit (Nature morte), 1892-94 

    Tension

    Tension is a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality in an artwork. There is a balance between and interplay of conflicting elements.

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    Jean Arp, Shirtfront and Fork, 1922

    Jean Arp, Shirtfront and Fork, 1922

    Texture

    Texture refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc.

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    Gustave Courbet,Good Day, Monsieur Courbet, 1854

    Gustave Courbet,Good Day, Monsieur Courbet, 1854

    Theme

    Theme is the meaning or idea that the artist wishes to impart to the viewer. This will be achieved through the use of visual clues and relationships, which may or may not be obvious unless the viewer understands the clues.

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    Vasily Kandinsky, On white II, 1923

    Vasily Kandinsky, On white II, 1923

    Unity

    Unity is the sense of wholeness or oneness within the artwork, so that the various parts of a work of art appear as a complete, cohesive whole. A composition is unified when there is a sense that no portion of the composition could be changed without altering the aesthetic integrity and meaning of the artwork. Unity will assist to create a sense of harmony. 

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    colour triangle.png

    Colour

    Objects absorb certain wavelengths (light) and reflect others back to the viewer. We perceive these wavelengths as colour. Those we (humans) see are the colours of the visual spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple/violet.

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    Colour Comprises Hue, Value and Intensity

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    Introduction
    Timeline of Key Events
    Timeline - Art Movements
    Key Artists
    Paris Salons
    Art Terms
    Colour Theory
    Art Syles
    Romanticism
    Realism
    Impressionism
    Post Impressionism
    Symbolism
    School of Paris
    Expressionism
    Fauvism
    Cubism
    The Bauhaus
    Abstract Art - Introduction
    Abstract Art Styles
    Dada and Surrealism
    Articles for Review
    Bibliography

    Select four art terms above and pictorially describe them. For example, to represent Unity, draw or paint a unified composition.