13 How Do You Express Any of the Art Principles in a Work of Art?

Fine art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice
Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, Os, Cayton
Twelfth Edition

Chapter 1
Introduction
pp. 10-thirteen

The Three Components of Art

Subject, form, and content take always been the iii basic components of a work of art, and they are wed in a style that is inseparable. In general, subject may be thought of as the "what" (the topic, focus, or prototype); class, every bit the "how" (the development of the work, composition, or the substantiation); and content, every bit the "why" (the artist's intention, communication, or meaning backside the work). Subject The subject of visual art tin be a person, an object, a theme, or an idea. Though there are many and varied ways of presenting the subject matter, it is merely important to the degree that the artist is motivated past it.

Objective images, which correspond people or objects, look as close every bit possible to their real-earth counterparts and can exist conspicuously identified. These types of images are as well called representational.

Dennis Wojtkiewicz, Kiwi Series #1, 2005.
Oil on canvass, 36 x 66 in. Marilyn Levine, Anne'south Jacket, 1999.
Ceramic, 36 x twenty 1/2 x 7 1/4 in.

Gus Heinze, Expresso Cafe, 2003. Acrylic on gessoed console, 32 x 35 one/2 in.

Artists who explore the procedure of abstraction (simplification and rearrangement) create images that look less similar the object on which they are based, although they may still be recognizable. Barbara Hunt-Riboud, Bathers, 1973. Floor relief, cast aluminum and silk in sixteen pieces, 400 10 400 x 12 cm.

Piet Mondrian, The Grayness Tree, 1911.
Oil on canvas, 30 i/2 x 42 7/8 in. Ismael Rodriguez Rueda, El Sueno de Erasmo (The Dream of Erasmus), 1995.
Oil on canvas, 39 i/2 x 47 1/2 in.

DeLoss McGraw's "The Story of Eutychus," mixed-media Marcel Duchamp, Nude Decending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912
Oil on canvas, 58 x 35 in. Harold E. Edgerton, Baseball striking-fly ball, 1950s-1970s. Gelatin silver print In the most farthermost type of brainchild, the subject does not refer to whatever physical object, and this nonrepresentational image is thus considered not-objective. Here, the field of study may be difficult for the observer to identify, since information technology is based solely on the elements of art rather than real-life people or objects. This blazon of field of study ofttimes refers to the artist'southward thought about energy and motion, which guides the utilize of raw materials, and it communicates with those who can read the language of form. Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1916. Oil on sheet and woods strip, 47 1/iv x 29 1/2 in. Music, like visual art, deals with subjects and provides an interesting comparison. Unless there are lyrics, information technology is often hard to identify a specific subject area in a piece of music. Sometimes, the subject is recognizable - the thunderstorms and birdsongs in Beethoven'south Pastoral Symphony or the taxi horns in Gershwin'due south An American in Paris. Other times, withal, the subject is more abstruse, and it is an emotion or thought that comes across strongly in the music. Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man is a skillful example of this: he does not endeavor to describe the subject literally but creates a nobel, accessible, and uplifting musical theme that honors the plight of the mutual man. In a like way, nonobjective art seeks to present a more than general theme or idea as the bailiwick.
Mark Rothko, Number x, 1950.
Oil on canvas, 7 ft. 6 3/8 in. x 4 ft. 9 ane/eight in. Regardless of the type of art, the most important consideration is what is washed with the subject. After you recognize the subject in a work (whether it is obvious or non), ask yourself whether the artist has given it expression. Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950.
Oil on canvas, 8 ft. 9 in. ten 17 ft. iii in. Charles Sheeler, Aureate Gate, 1955.
Oil on sail, 25 one/viii in. 10 34 7/8 in.

Class

Every bit a component of art, the give-and-take grade refers to the total overall arrangement or organization of an artwork. It results from using the elements of art, giving them order and meaning through the principles of system. When studying a work'due south course, we are analyzing how the piece was created. More specifically, we are examing why the artist made certain choices and how those choices interact to grade the artwork'due south terminal appearance. In this sense, the word course may actually exist thought of as a verb rather than a substantive.

The elements of fine art, which include line, texture, color, shape, and value, are the most basic, indispensable, and immediate building blocks for expression. Their characteristics, determined by the artist's option of media and techniques, can communicate a wide range of complex feelings. All artists must deal with the elements singularly or in combination, and their organisation contributes to the aesthetic success or failure of a work.

Based on the intended expression, each artist tin can arrange the elements in whatever manner that builds the desired character into the slice. Nonetheless, the elements are given lodge and meaningful structure when arranged according to the principles of arrangement, which assist integrate and organize the elements. These principles include harmony, variety, residuum, proportion, authority, movement, and economy. They help create spatial relationships and effectively convey the artist's intent. The principles of organization are flexible, not dogmatic, and can exist combined and practical in numerous ways. Some artist arrange intuitively, and others are more than calculating, but with feel, all of them develop an instinctive feeling for organizing their work. So of import are these concepts of elements and principles that they are studied separately.

Content

The emotional or intellectual message of a piece of work of art is its content - a statement, expression, or mood developed past the artist and interpreted past the observer. Of the three components of art, content may be the most difficult to identify, considering the audience, without direct communication with the artist, must decipher the artist'southward thoughts by observing the work'southward subject field and form. For case, in Young Girl in the Lap of Death, the striking accent of the left-to-right diagonals, the sharp contrasts of low-cal and dark values, and the aggressive and powerful cartoon strokes give us some insight into Kathe Kollwitz'south concern for life, though we may non understand the depth of her passion.

Kathe Kollwitz, Immature Daughter in the Lap of Decease, 1934.
Crayon lithograph, 42 ten 38 cm.

Ideally, the viewer's estimation is synchronized with the creative person's intentions. However, the viewer's diversity of experiences can affect the communication betwixt artist and viewer. For many people, content is adamant past their familiarity with the subject; they are confined to feelings angry by objects or ideas they know. A much broader and ultimately more meaningful content is not utterly reliant on the image but is reinforced past the course. This is especially then in more abstruse works, in which the viewer may not recognize the image as a known object and must, thefore, interpret significant from shapes and other elements. Images that are hardly recognizable, if representational at all, can still evangelize content if the observer knows how to interpert form.

Occasionally, artists may be unaware of what motivates them to brand sure choices of image or grade. For them, the content of the piece may be hidden instead of deliberate. For example, an artist who has had a violent confrontation with a neighbor might subconciously demand to express anger (content) and is thus compelled to piece of work wit sharp jagged shapes, bitter acrid reds, slashing agitated marks (form), and exploding images (bailiwick).

Sometimes the meaning of nonobjective shapes becomes clear in the artist's mind just after they evolve and mutate on the sheet.

Although it is not a requirement for enjoying artwork, a petty inquiry about the creative person's life, fourth dimension menses, or civilization can help expand viewpoints and lead to a fuller interpretation of content. For example, a deeeper comprehension of Vincent van Gogh's specific and personal use of color may be gained by reading Van Gogh's messages to his brother Theo. His letters expressed an evolving belief that color conveyed specific feelings and attitudes and was more that a mere optical experience. He felt that his use of color could emit power like Wagner'due south music. The letters also revealed a developing personal color iconography, in which carmine and green symbolized the terrible sinful passions of humanity; black contour lines provided a sense of ache; cobalt blue signified the vault of sky, and yellow symbolized honey. For Van Gogh, color was not strictly a tool for visual false but an instrument to transmit his personal emotions. Colour symbolism may not have been used in all his paintings, but an understanding of his intent helps explain some of his choices and the ability in his piece of work.

Vincent van Gogh, The Night Buffet, 1888. Oil on sheet, 27 1/2 ten 35 in.

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