Painting Sculpture Architecture Music Combined Arts

Medium Element
The medium is the physical through which one can come contact with a work of art; the elements are its qualities or properties. Both answer the question: What is it made of? Examples:
Building = medium: brick and stone = element: right angles and vertical lines Song = medium: oboe and piano = element: fast, catchy rhythm

VISUAL ARTS (Painting/Sculpture/Architecture)

Line
1. straight Horizontal creates an impression of serenity and perfect stability; of rest and quiet, relaxation and contemplation; gives a sense of infinity Vertical appears poised and stable; a line of rest (but not of relaxation) that is pointed, balanced, forceful and dynamic; a line of potential action though it is not acting Diagonal implies action; show movement and instability; conveys a feeling of unrest and uncertainty 2. curved shows action, life and energy; results when there is a gradual change of direction, thus shows fluidity; gives a feeling of grace, movement, serenity, stability

Erechtheum

David by Michelangelo

Bird in Space by Constantin Brancusi

The Charioteer

Three Trees by Rembrandt Horizontal

The Uprising by Honore Daumier Diagonal

Purification at the Temple by El Greco diagonal

Lovers under Umbrella in Snow By Suzuki Harunobu curved

Berceuse by Vincent van Gogh curved

Painting by Joan Miro Biomorph suggestive of living form

Shape (Painting)
1. natural those that are seen in nature; men, animals, trees 2. abstract formed after the artist has drawn out the essence of the original object and made it the subject of his work 3. non-objective seldom has reference to recognizable objects but most often show similarity to some organic forms; also known as biomorphic shapes 4. geometric looks like geometric solids such as pyramids, cylindrical towers etc.
Negative shapes areas which are not occupied by any form

Abstract shapes

Aquarium by Josef Albers

Hand Catching a Bird by Joan Miro

Constellation by Joan Miro

Two Forms by Henry Moore

The Dance by Henri Matisse

Volume
Since sculpture is three-dimensional, shapes are identified either as mass or volume. When mass is structured or has a definite shape, it is said to have volume. The fundamental unit in sculpture is the single volume. Surface is generated by line movement, which in turn is determined by the structure of the mass inside it.
1. surface
a. plane = like those of solids b. single-curved = surface that is curved in a single direction c. warped = surface curves in several directions so that no two directions are parallel to one another d. double-curved = surface that is curved in all directions so that it is difficult to draw a straight line

 The surfaces of sculpture may be concave or convex.

2. transition The places where the forms meet are very important. The expressive character of sculpture depends highly on how passage or transition is made from one part or another. a. abrupt the intersection of the forms shows a clearly defined line; provides an staccato effect, producing shadows and highlights which reveal the three-dimensional qualities of the figure b. smooth is achieved when one form flows into or blends with another element without any sudden interruption in the continuity of the surface.

Volume is often called solidity. It is that quality of an object which enable us to know that it has thickness as well as length and breadth. Since painting is two-dimensional, it can only suggest volume. The shadows and contour lines are painted in and do not change. Sculpture is three-dimensional: the outlines and the shadows change with each shift in the position of the person viewing them. Architecture, like sculpture, always exists in three dimensions. A building, like a statue, is seen from many points of view. As we walk around it, the appearance changes with each shift in our position.

Reclining Figure by Henry Moore Smooth transition by Aristide Maillol

Value (also known as Light and Dark/also referred to as

Value is the name given to relative degrees of light, or that it indicates the degree of luminosity, that is, the presence or absence of light. In ordinary speech, the term light and dark is often used instead of value; although this does indicate that values go from light to dark.
White is recognized as the highest value and black as the lowest; a point halfway between them can be called medium, the point halfway between white and medium may be called light; and the point halfway between medium

Scale of values: white light medium dark black In architecture and sculpture, values change with the light; in painting, values are fixed. Value is an element that must be considered in relation to other elements such as line, color, texture and shape. These elements show some value contrasts. Shadows and highlights peculiar to a type of surface help create the illusion of roughness or smoothness of an object; thus, value is also used in the creation of texture.

Annunciation by Jan Van Eyck

Luncheon on the Grass by Edouard Manet

Spolarium by Juan Luna

Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp

 Functions: 1. may be used to create the illusion of form 2. to break up the picture surface into patterns of dark and light 3. to create the illusion of light, space and movement 4. to express emotion Styles: 1. Chiaroscuro concentrates on the effects of blending light and shade on objects to create the illusion of space and atmosphere 2. Tenebrism exaggerates the effects of chiaroscuro where larger amount of dark areas beside smaller areas of light for emphasis are used.

Chiaroscuro

Resurrection By Rembrandt

The Young Englishman by Titian

Man in the Golden Helmet by Titian

Tenebrism

Conversion of St. Paul by Michelangelo da Caravaggio

Texture
Texture has to do chiefly with the perception of touch. It is the element that appeals to our sense of the feel of things rough or smooth, bumpy or slippery. It is the difference we feel between satin and velvet, between linen and silk, between marble and bronze. Texture is found in all the visual arts. In many cases, differences in textures are due primarily to differences in medium. Functions:
Can be enjoyed for its sensuous, decorative quality tone Can be used as a means of description Clarifies space

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh Japanese Bridge by Claude Monet

The Bather by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

by Aristide Maillol

Nude Maja by Goya

Just Dessert by William Harnett

Color
Color is a series of wave lengths which strike our retina. Every ray of light coming from the sun is composed of different waves which vibrate at different speeds. The ray of light will break up and be seen as bands of different colors. The colors red, orange, blue, indigo and violet constitute the color spectrum. Any object has a color quality called pigmentation, which enables it to absorb some of the colors and reflect only one.
Neutrals colors that do not reflect any one distinct color such as black (reflects no light at all), white (reflects all colors) and gray (which results from a partial reflection of light)

Physical Properties: Hue the quality by which we distinguish one color from the another
Primary hues: red, blue, yellow (all others can be made from them) Secondary hues: green, violet, orange (each being halfway between two of the primary colors Intermediate: combinations of a primary and a secondary color; e.g. yellow-green or chartreuse, blue -green or aqua Complementary colors: 2 hues are said to be complementary when between them they contain the 3 primary colors; e.g. red + blue = violet Colors are either warm or cool

Value - the lightness or darkness of a color Adding neutrals results in changing the quantity of light it reflects. A color combined with black will reflect less light than the same color combined with white. When black is combined with a color, a shade is produced; when white is added to it, a tint results Intensity or Saturation the strength of the colors hue. It refers to the quality of light in a color .
Two colors may both be blue, one just as dark as the other, but one may be more intense than the other. Powder blue is a dulled blue; old rose is a dulled red. When a hue us found in its most vivid form, it is said to be in full intensity. The same hue dulled is said to be partly neutralized. A hue completely neutralized loses its color and becomes gray.

Uses of color: 1. gives spatial quality to the pictorial field 2. creates a mood, symbolizes ideas and expresses personal emotions 3. has the ability to arouse sensations of pleasure because of a well-colored system of tonality In architecture, color plays a secondary role. The materials used in a building have their own integral color. There is the gray of the concrete, the red of brick, and the great variety of browns in wood. In sculpture, color is linked to the material. Waxes, stains and varnishes are applied to wood sculpture to enhance the depth of shallow areas or to dramatize the sections which take the light. Sometimes, color is used as a purely decorative element.

Paintings by Henri Matisse

Space
The two arts in which space is of great importance are architecture and painting. Architecture is primarily an art of space. The other arts exist in space; architecture uses space as one of its elements. There are two basic types of space in painting:
decorative space depthless space; it exists across the plane rather than in it; the artist cuts, divides or rearranges the decorative space into smaller units as he adds an art element on his space. plastic space the term applied to the third dimension which is a matter of illusion in the case of painting.

Methods of creating an illusion: 1. overlapping planes it is presumed that an object, no matter how small, covers a part of another object which is behind it. This method gives the observer the impression that one object has a particular thickness or breadth and that it is in front of another.

By Vincent Van Gogh

Olympia by Edouard Manet

Variation in size we interpret largeness of size as nearness and a diminishing size as an indication of distance

House on the Marne by Paul Cezanne

by Anne Garney

Position on the picture plane the spatial representation is based upon the position of forms relative to the bottom of the frame

Haystacks by Claude Monet

Crucifixion by Perugrino

Perspective the technical means by which we perceive distance in painting, the means by which we are made to see the position of objects in space.
Linear perspective has to do with the direction of lines and the size of objects. Two parallel rows of vertical objects seem to meet in the distance, but the tops of the farther objects fall to the level of the eyes.
by Vincent Van Gogh

The Avenue at Middleharnis by Meinhardt Hobbema

Aerial perspective has to do with the appearance due to atmosphere. Objects become lighter in color and hazier in outline as they approach the horizon. Accurate painting of aerial perspective is at its best in landscape painting, and among the greatest of landscape painters are the Chinese. When an artist wishes to create depth through linear and aerial perspective, he makes use of the errors of vision: Parallel lines appear to meet at a point called the vanishing point.

Waterloo Bridge by Claude Monet

Objects seem to become smaller and less distinct in outline as they recede into the distance or into the atmosphere. The color of objects seems to become lighter as the objects go farther into the distance or atmosphere. In sculpture, spaces are voids that may exist in the medium. They may come as (a) gaps between components, (b) holes and cavities in parts or (c) interpenetrating voids. Space in architecture is created and defined by the shape, the position, and the materials employed by the architect.

Two Forms by Henry Moore The Discus Thrower by Myron

Design is the overall visual structure of a work of art. It is a means by which the artist makes comprehensible the ideas he wishes to express and communicate. Principles of Design 1. harmony the adaptation of the visual elements to each other, the agreement between the parts of a composition which result in unity. It is achieved by the repetition of characteristics which are similar in nature, such as shape, size and color. 2. variety the use of a quality or an element which contrasts with or is slightly different from those that surround it is variety. If a shape is repeated, variety in size can prevent uniformity.

3. rhythm is a continuance, a flow or a feeling of movement achieved by the repetition of regular visual units. It may be simple, that is, only one type of motif is repeated or it may be composite, when two or more recurring motifs exist simultaneously. It may even be a complex variation at times.
Nude Descending the Staircase by Marcel Duchamp

4. proportion deals with the ratio of one part to another and of the parts to the whole. Ratio implies a comparison between parts. It is expressed in size, number and position. 5. emphasis and subordination the principles that concern the giving of proper importance to parts and to the whole. Emphasis may be achieved by the use of size, perspective, color etc. 6. balance a feeling of equality in weight, attention or attraction of the various elements. It suggests the gravitational equilibrium of a single unit in space or a pair of objects arranged with respect to an axis. The factors that contribute to balance are position, size, proportion, quality and direction of all elements.

Symmetrical /formal balance use of identical compositional units on either side of an imaginary vertical axis within the pictorial space. Asymmetrical/occult balance or felt balance; obtained when the visual units on either side of the axis are not identical but are placed in positions so equated as to produce a felt equilibrium.

MUSIC
Music may be said to deal with sound solely for its own

sake. Yet music is not meaningless; it organizes sounds so that they assume meaning. This meaning results from the internal relationships which the sounds acquire through their use in a musical composition. Elements:
Rhythm Melody Harmony Tempo Dynamics Timbre

Rhythm
Rhythm, the most basic of the elements, is that which

gives a sense of movement; that order of movement which gives the duration of tones and the degree of accent. By tapping out the melody of a song, we become aware of its rhythmic structure. In Western music this relationship is usually based upon multiples of either two or three.
Meter is a way of measuring rhythm. It is the

arrangement of rhythm in a fixed, regular pattern with a uniform number of beats in uniform measures. Meter is confined to the basic underlying pulse; it is always perfectly regular like the ticking of the clock.

 2 kinds of meter:

Duple the accent falls on every other beat (ONE, two, ONE, two etc.) Triple the accent falls on every third beat (ONE, two three, ONE, two three etc.)

The written indication of meter is called the time

signature and appears at the beginning of every piece of music. The numerator tells us how many basic beats there are in each measure, and the denominator tells the basic duration value of the beat. In meter (triple), we have three quarter notes or their equivalent for each measure. (See Illustration)

Melody
Melody is any succession of single tones which, by

virtue of being placed sequentially, give a sense of continuity. Melody is heard in terms of duration and pitch. Melody may be defined as a specific ordering in time of the pitches of the scale used.
Example: Normally the notes will not appear in their

scalar order, although there are exceptions to this. Joy to the World outlines a descending major scale. (See illustration.) If this melody is compared with this, we can see that the pitches occur in reverse order. Note the effect the different durations of the pitches have upon the scale. If each pitch in the melody were sung for the same length, it would sound like a scale, then breaks off into larger intervals. (See illustration.)

 Tonality = When all the tones of a melody have

been sounded, their total relationship establishes a tonality. Tonality is a key feeling; there is one central tone called the tonic, toward which all other tones in the melody seem to gravitate. Tonality is expressed through the use of scale, which is a prescribed pattern giving the number and relationship of tones.

A scale not only chooses which tones will be used but also denies the use of other tones. Scales are exclusive as much as they are inclusive. We can think of tonality as a general idea, and of scale as specific facts to sustain the idea. For example, a piece written in D major is based upon the major scale and its central tone is the note D. Tonal music tends to begin and end with the central tone, or tonic.

 Scales = There are only a few scales on which most

Western music is based:

1. major 2. minor 3. pentatonic 4. chromatic 5. whole-tone 6. twelve-tone

Each of these scales is found within the compass of

an octave, and at most only twelve different tones are possible. The chromatic and twelve-tone scales are the only two which make use of all twelve.

See illustrations .

 Atonality = The tendency toward increased

chromaticism in the 19th century led some composers to abandon the idea of organizing music around one principal tone. They began to write atonal (nontonal) music, a term which clearly indicates how conditioned we are to tonality. The earliest atonal pieces date from about 1910. such pieces use all twelve pitches with more or less equal emphasis.

Harmony
When two or more pitches are sounded simultaneously,

a chord is formed. Harmony refers to the relationship of the tones within the chord and the relationship of chords to one another. The triad is the basic chord in the tonal system. As the name implies, there are three different pitches in a triad, and there is an interval of a third between the two lower tones and between the two upper tones. In a major triad , the bottom third is major and the upper is minor; in a minor triad, the bottom third is minor and the upper is major. (see illustration.)

Tempo
The meter in which a piece of music is written has little

to do with the actual speed or tempo of music. Notation for time and rhythm shows the duration of each note with reference to the other notes of the piece.
In general, songs written with half notes as the unit of

value are supposed to go more slowly than songs written in quarter notes, and songs written in eighth notes are supposed to go faster, although there is no proof that such is the case.

 Terms that indicate the tempo:

grave largo adagio andante andantino moderato allegretto allegro presto prestissimo

gravely, solemnly, slowly very slowly and broadly very slowly moderately slowly somewhat faster than andante at a moderate tempo at a pace between moderato and allegro fairly fast (lively) very fast as fast as possible

Terms that indicate qualities of music:

ma non troppo but not too much

Generally, the slow tempos suggest concentration,

reflection , and deep feeling, whereas the quick tempos suggest gaiety, joy, fun, vigor, excitement.
An increasing speed (accelerando) means an increase in

excitement and tension. A decreasing speed (ritardando) means loss of life or power; sometimes it shows relaxation and rest, sometimes exhaustion. Sudden changes in tempo often suggest like changes in mood or meaning.

Dynamics
Dynamics refers to the degree and variation of

volume and force, from soft to loud, with which the music is played.
These gradations of intensity, like the notations in

describing tempo, are traditionally indicated in Italian words.

pp. p. mp. mf. f. ff. cresc. decresc. dim. sf.

pianissimo piano mezzo piano mezzo forte forte fortissimo crescendo decrescendo diminuendo sforzando

as softly as possible softly somewhat softly somewhat loudly loudly as loudly as possible getting louder getting softer getting gradually softer abruptly loud

Timbre
The composer mixes the vocal and instrumental colors

so as to enhance the work. One of the ways a composer can differentiate between melody and accompaniment is through the use of different timbres for the different textural components.
Thus an accompaniment may be given to the strings

while the melody is played on a flute; or in a two-part contraptual texture, one melody may be given to a clarinet while the other is played by the bassoon.

COMBINED ARTS or PERFORMING ARTS

theme
Stagecraft/Production Elements: groupings,

movements, business, facial expressions, sounds, timing, scenery, properties & props, costumes, makeup, lighting (see OrgChart)

Cinema time, space, sound Dance movement, content (theme), music,

spectacle Opera music, drama, spectacle

Theater/Drama or Play
Elements:
1. plot the sequence of events
Exposition Rising

Action conflict, catharsis, hamartia (tragic flaw) dramatic irony, reversal of fortune (peripeteia) Climax (refers to the reaction of the audience called the suspended disbelief)/ Turning Point (refers to the dramatic structure) Falling Action Resolution

2. character/actor - referred to as dramatis

personae 3. language (dialogue) what the characters do are not as interesting as what they say and how they say it 4. theme the message that the play conveys and which is anchored on a universal truth

*See also History of Theater/Drama, Evolution of Stage, Stage Geography, Structure of Tragedy

Cinema
Cinema is a term that embraces many types of

films or movies: cartoons, newsreels, commercials, industrial films, educational films, social documentaries, and even home movies.
The cinema is a way of expressing ideas, attitudes,

feelings, dreams and fantasies to an audience through a series of images. These images or pictures, photographed by a movie camera, are projected on the surface of a screen.

The art form is the result of a complex activity

which, while involving hundreds of movie personnel, intricate physical apparatus, and complex technical processes, is completely controlled by one man , the director.
Elements:
1. Time the most important element of the

cinema
3

aspects of time:

A. Physical time time taken by an action as it is being filmed and as it is being projected on the screen; can be distorted through slow motion,

 A.1.

slow motion happens when the camera takes pictures faster than the projector can show on the screen A.2. accelerated motion occurs when the camera takes pictures slower than the projector can run them on the screen A.3. reverse motion conveys an undoing of time; the end of an action is shown first then the motion is retraced to its beginning; used for magic or comic effects A.4. stopped motion not often used; instead of stopping the action of an otherwise moving sequence, still photographs are used

Time expressed within a shot in a film is fixed and cannot be changed; time can be altered between shots mixing past, present and future through the use of flashback and flash-forward. B. Psychological time the emotional impression of the duration of the action that is experienced as a film is watched; time seems to move fast when we are happy while boredom, idleness or tragedy makes time lag. Suspense consists of delaying the resolution of a situation so as to arouse and maintain interest; achieved by withholding interest something from the audience or from the characters C. Dramatic time refers to the time taken up by the events which are depicted in the film

 2. Space - Our experience of space in reality is very

different from our experience of space in the cinema. We can move about in the physical space that surrounds us, but space on the screen is flat, and our perception of depth is just an illusion.

The three-dimensionality and realness are achieved through the use of scale, shooting angle and lighting.

A. Scale - refers to the size of the objects on the screen and their relation to the surrounding area; our perception of the size of objects on film is artificial and very much unlike our everyday experiences. Another way in which the screen and camera can deceive us is through the location of the camera in relation to the subject: long-shot, medium-shot and close-up.

= taken when the camera is positioned very far from the object and therefore there is a wide view on a small scale Medium-shot = taken from an average distance and is the view of medium extent on a medium scale; e.g. from head to waist Close-up = results from the camera which is situated so close to the object that the smallest features of the object can be distinguished B. Shooting angle the camera may record scenes from different angles; shooting angles can express subjectively what things are like as they are seen from the point of a view of a character

Long-shot

Several angles: a. vertically upwards taking the picture of a building from below would show violent foreshortening. The building would appear larger than reality. A person filmed from the same angle may seem powerful and majestic even if he is not so in person. b. vertically downward a shot taken above the object; produces an effect opposite that of the vertically upward shot. The object shown seems small and insignificant, since we seem to see it from a great height. c. horizontal - creates an impression of closeness or equality among the characters on the scene: it makes the viewer feel that he is part of or on the same level as the character

C. Lighting another means used to give the illusion of depth in the film. By the position of lights, a filmmaker can create areas of light and dark, and increase or decrease depth Central Techniques of the Cinema: a. Cutting (Montage or Editing) refers to shot changes; when one scene succeeds another without interruption although they may be oceans apart or a scene in the past replaces one in the present; consists of joining one shot of a scene to a shot of another, both having a logical connection; enables the director to show only the scenes the story requires to further its action and provide variety Transition devices: fade, dissolve, wipe, iris-in, iris-out, turn-over.

b. Camera Movement a change of view may be made by the continuous movement of the camera while shooting instead of switching from one shot to another b.1. tracking shot if the whole camera is moved bodily while taking pictures of a scene b.2. panning if the camera is kept in the same place but turned on its axis; what is to come is unknown and what is left behind is gone c. Framing brings about the balance and unity that one sees in a film for it is used as the basis of design; it can give a highly dramatic effect and can capture and hold the audiences attention

 3. Sound the intensity, pitch, volume and texture

of these sounds are recorded in their optical equivalent on the strip of negatives parallel to the images; then a light shining through the sound tract as the film is projected turns these optical variations back into sound waves which are heard through loudspeakers as the pictures are seen on the screen.

The cinema is thus an art form which is entirely different from the theater in its treatment of reality. It can repeat, extend, abbreviate or reverse time and events on the screen without danger of being labeled unreal