Representational Art Depicts the World in a Recognizable Manner

Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice
Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, Bone, Cayton
Twelfth Edition

Chapter ane
Introduction
pp. 10-13

The Three Components of Art

Discipline, form, and content have always been the three basic components of a work of art, and they are wednesday in a way that is inseparable. In full general, subject may be thought of as the "what" (the topic, focus, or image); form, every bit the "how" (the development of the piece of work, composition, or the substantiation); and content, equally the "why" (the artist's intention, advice, or meaning behind the work). Subject The subject of visual art can exist a person, an object, a theme, or an idea. Though in that location are many and varied ways of presenting the subject matter, it is only important to the caste that the creative person is motivated by it.

Objective images, which correspond people or objects, look as close every bit possible to their real-world counterparts and can be clearly identified. These types of images are also called representational.

Dennis Wojtkiewicz, Kiwi Series #1, 2005.
Oil on canvas, 36 ten 66 in. Marilyn Levine, Anne'southward Jacket, 1999.
Ceramic, 36 x 20 1/ii x 7 1/iv in.

Gus Heinze, Expresso Cafe, 2003. Acrylic on gessoed console, 32 ten 35 1/two in.

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

Piet Mondrian, The Grey Tree, 1911.
Oil on sail, 30 i/2 x 42 seven/8 in. Ismael Rodriguez Rueda, El Sueno de Erasmo (The Dream of Erasmus), 1995.
Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 47 1/two 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-wing brawl, 1950s-1970s. Gelatin silverish print In the about farthermost type of abstraction, the bailiwick does not refer to any physical object, and this nonrepresentational image is thus considered not-objective. Hither, the field of study may be difficult for the observer to identify, since it is based solely on the elements of art rather than real-life people or objects. This type of bailiwick ofttimes refers to the artist's idea well-nigh energy and move, which guides the utilize of raw materials, and it communicates with those who can read the language of form. Piet Mondrian, Limerick, 1916. Oil on canvas and wood strip, 47 1/iv x 29 1/2 in. Music, similar visual art, deals with subjects and provides an interesting comparing. Unless there are lyrics, it is often hard to identify a specific subject in a piece of music. Sometimes, the subject is recognizable - the thunderstorms and birdsongs in Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony or the taxi horns in Gershwin's An American in Paris. Other times, however, the subject is more abstract, and information technology is an emotion or idea that comes across strongly in the music. Aaron Copland'due south Fanfare for the Common Homo is a good instance of this: he does not effort to describe the bailiwick literally but creates a nobel, accessible, and uplifting musical theme that honors the plight of the common man. In a similar way, nonobjective fine art seeks to present a more general theme or idea as the subject.
Mark Rothko, Number 10, 1950.
Oil on sail, 7 ft. 6 iii/8 in. x 4 ft. ix 1/8 in. Regardless of the type of art, the nearly important consideration is what is done with the subject. After you recognize the subject field in a piece of work (whether information technology is obvious or not), ask yourself whether the artist has given it expression. Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950.
Oil on canvass, 8 ft. nine in. 10 17 ft. three in. Charles Sheeler, Aureate Gate, 1955.
Oil on sheet, 25 one/8 in. x 34 vii/eight in.

Grade

Every bit a component of art, the word form refers to the total overall arrangement or organization of an artwork. Information technology results from using the elements of art, giving them order and meaning through the principles of organisation. When studying a work'due south form, we are analyzing how the piece was created. More specifically, we are examing why the creative person made certain choices and how those choices interact to grade the artwork's final appearance. In this sense, the word form may actually exist thought of as a verb rather than a noun.

The elements of art, which include line, texture, color, shape, and value, are the virtually bones, indispensable, and immediate building blocks for expression. Their characteristics, determined by the artist'southward choice 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 can arrange the elements in any manner that builds the desired character into the piece. However, the elements are given social club and meaningful structure when bundled according to the principles of organization, which help integrate and organize the elements. These principles include harmony, diverseness, rest, proportion, authorization, motion, and economic system. They aid create spatial relationships and effectively convey the artist'due south intent. The principles of organization are flexible, not dogmatic, and can be combined and practical in numerous ways. Some creative person arrange intuitively, and others are more calculating, but with experience, all of them develop an instinctive feeling for organizing their work. And then important are these concepts of elements and principles that they are studied separately.

Content

The emotional or intellectual message of a work of art is its content - a statement, expression, or mood adult past the artist and interpreted by the observer. Of the 3 components of art, content may be the most difficult to identify, because the audience, without direct communication with the artist, must decipher the artist's thoughts past observing the work'south subject and grade. For example, in Immature Girl in the Lap of Death, the striking emphasis of the left-to-right diagonals, the sharp contrasts of light and dark values, and the aggressive and powerful cartoon strokes give u.s.a. some insight into Kathe Kollwitz'southward business organization for life, though we may not understand the depth of her passion.

Kathe Kollwitz, Young Girl in the Lap of Death, 1934.
Crayon lithograph, 42 x 38 cm.

Ideally, the viewer's interpretation is synchronized with the creative person's intentions. Nevertheless, the viewer's diverseness of experiences tin bear upon the communication betwixt artist and viewer. For many people, content is determined past their familiarity with the subject; they are confined to feelings aroused past objects or ideas they know. A much broader and ultimately more meaningful content is not utterly reliant on the paradigm but is reinforced by the class. This is especially so in more abstract works, in which the viewer may not recognize the image equally a known object and must, thefore, interpret meaning from shapes and other elements. Images that are hardly recognizable, if representational at all, can yet deliver content if the observer knows how to interpert form.

Occasionally, artists may be unaware of what motivates them to make certain choices of image or course. For them, the content of the slice may exist subconscious instead of deliberate. For example, an creative person who has had a violent confrontation with a neighbor might subconciously need to limited anger (content) and is thus compelled to work wit sharp jagged shapes, bitter acrid reds, slashing agitated marks (form), and exploding images (subject).

Sometimes the meaning of nonobjective shapes becomes articulate in the artist'due south listen only after they evolve and mutate on the canvass.

Although information technology is non a requirement for enjoying artwork, a little research about the artist's life, time period, or civilization tin assist expand viewpoints and atomic number 82 to a fuller estimation of content. For example, a deeeper comprehension of Vincent van Gogh's specific and personal utilize of color may be gained past reading Van Gogh'southward 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 feel. He felt that his use of color could emit power like Wagner's music. The letters besides revealed a developing personal color iconography, in which red and dark-green symbolized the terrible sinful passions of humanity; black contour lines provided a sense of anguish; cobalt blue signified the vault of sky, and yellowish symbolized love. For Van Gogh, color was not strictly a tool for visual imitation simply an instrument to transmit his personal emotions. Color symbolism may non accept been used in all his paintings, but an agreement of his intent helps explicate some of his choices and the power in his work.

Vincent van Gogh, The Dark Cafe, 1888. Oil on canvas, 27 one/2 x 35 in.

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Source: https://personal.utdallas.edu/~melacy/pages/2D_Design/Components_of_Art/Components_of_Art.html